{"id":2149,"date":"2025-05-28T11:55:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T15:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/?post_type=press&p=2149"},"modified":"2025-08-11T13:46:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:46:08","slug":"common-cause-says-kathy-klausmeier-is-creating-unnecessary-chaos-in-baltimore-countys-inspector-general-office","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/press\/common-cause-says-kathy-klausmeier-is-creating-unnecessary-chaos-in-baltimore-countys-inspector-general-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Cause says Kathy Klausmeier is creating \u201cunnecessary chaos\u201d in Baltimore County\u2019s inspector general office"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2149","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-news-clip"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"The county executive\u2019s meddling in the process of hiring the person responsible for holding her administration accountable \u201crepresents a major conflict of interest,\u201d says the good government group","featured_image":"","press_type":153,"authors":"","related_issues":[444,105],"related_work":false,"location":23},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Published in the Baltimore Brew <\/em>May 28, 2025.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nCommon Cause Maryland has added its voice to the chorus of criticism over Kathy Klausmeier\u2019s decision to withhold the reappointment of Baltimore County\u2019s inspector general, urging the interim county executive \u201cto immediately reappoint award-winning Inspector General Kelly Madigan\u201d to a second term.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is deeply concerning that, even following voters\u2019 approval on the ballot in 2024 to strengthen the Baltimore County Office of Inspector General, some local government officials have found yet another way to disrupt the work of the office,\u201d Joanne Antoine, executive director of the good government advocacy group, said in a statement issued today.\r\n\r\nAntoine was referring to widespread speculation that Klausmeier cut a deal with Johnny Olszewski not to reappoint Madigan in return for his support of her bid to become county executive.\r\n\r\nAlmost immediately after Klausmeier was named interim county executive last January \u2013 filling out Olszewski\u2019s remaining term after he was elected to Congress \u2013\u00a0The Brew<\/em>\u00a0and others were told that Madigan had \u201ca target on her back\u201d and her reappointment, kicked over to Klausmeier, was \u201ctoast.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cReappointing the current inspector general should be a simple priority to continue this critical work. But instead, the interim county executive is derailing a standard reappointment to create unnecessary chaos,\u201d Antoine said.\r\n\r\nKlausmeier has declined to speak to the media or address a petition by over 250 residents calling for Madigan\u2019s reappointment. Her office says she is following \u201cbest practices\u201d by opening the inspector general\u2019s job to all candidates, and Madigan is welcome to reapply for her current position.\r\n\r\nInitially, the county\u2019s human resources website gave Madigan less than 36 hours to reapply for the position. Following\u00a0media inquiries<\/a>, the date was extended to June 4, and Klausmeier\u2019s press secretary said the original date was in error.\r\n\r\nMadigan says she is \u201chumbled\u201d by the support shown by county residents and will reapply for a second term. There is no word of other candidates for the position.\r\n

\u201cHonor the will of the people\u201d<\/h2>\r\nAntoine said that Klausmeier\u2019s interference in the process of hiring \u201cthe very person responsible for holding her administration accountable\u201d represents \u201ca major conflict of interest.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cHundreds of constituents and the majority of the County Council have publicly shared their support for Inspector General Madigan, so the interim county executive should honor the will of the people,\u201d she argued.\r\n\r\nAntoine served on the Baltimore County Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics and Accountability, which was established by Olszewski to review the inspector general\u2019s office.\r\n\r\nThe commission recommended that the IG office, set up in 2019 to uncover waste and fraud in county government, be included in the county charter so that no future county executive could eliminate the agency. Baltimore County voters overwhelmingly approved the change last November.\r\n\r\nThe commission was established in October 2021 after Olszewski\u2019s attempt to cripple the office failed. Earlier in the year, Olszewski\u00a0introduced legislation<\/a>\u00a0to create an IG oversight board packed with political appointees who with the power to approve \u2013 and potentially veto \u2013 her investigations.\r\n\r\nThe legislation was withdrawn after an outcry from the public and \u201cgrave concerns<\/a>\u201d expressed by the nationwide Association of Inspectors General.\r\n\r\nUnlike the situation in Baltimore City, where the inspector general is appointed by an independent panel without input from the mayor or other elected officials, the county IG serves at the pleasure of the county executive.\r\n\r\nMadigan\u2019s five-year appointment as the county\u2019s first inspector general lapsed on January 21. The law gives Klausmeier the authority to appoint Madigan to a second term subject only to confirmation by the county council.\r\n\r\nHowever, in\u00a0a letter hand-delivered<\/a>\u00a0to Madigan on May 12, the county executive declared that Madigan\u2019s term had lapsed and she was serving in a holdover capacity.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe county executive shall conduct an open search process for the inspector general. . . As the current inspector general, I would encourage you to apply for the position if you are interested in remaining with Baltimore County government,\u201d the letter stated.\r\n

Council Supports Madigan<\/h2>\r\nSince then, six of the seven members of the Baltimore County Council, responsible for confirming the inspector general position, say they favor Madigan continuing in her role for a second term.\r\n\r\nThe sole holdout is 4th District Democrat Julian E. Jones Jr., who has been the subject of two Madigan investigations \u2013 one for committing county funds to repave a private alley owned by a developer and the other for including a campaign donation link in his official government email.\r\n\r\nIn December 2023, Jones tried to slip last-minute amendments into inspector general legislation coming up for a final vote in the council. He\u00a0withdrew the amendments<\/a>\u00a0following\u00a0Brew<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0about how they would undermine the office\u2019s independence.\r\n\r\nAntoine said Common Cause would support legislation setting up an independent advisory board to oversee the appointment of future inspector generals. For now, Klausmeier should at very least retain Madigan in her current position until voters elect a new county executive, she added in an interview.\r\n\r\nCouncilman Izzy Patoka (D, 2nd) told\u00a0The Brew<\/em>\u00a0that he plans to introduce a bill in July that would change the county charter to prevent politicians from overseeing the IG\u2019s office.\r\n\r\nThe bill would require a supermajority of five votes to pass and, if approved, would come before voters on the November 2026 ballot.\r\n

###<\/p>\r\nView the original article here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}}]},"yoast_head":"\nCommon Cause says Kathy Klausmeier is creating \u201cunnecessary chaos\u201d in Baltimore County\u2019s inspector general office - Common Cause Maryland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/press\/common-cause-says-kathy-klausmeier-is-creating-unnecessary-chaos-in-baltimore-countys-inspector-general-office\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Common Cause says Kathy Klausmeier is creating \u201cunnecessary chaos\u201d in Baltimore County\u2019s inspector general office\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/press\/common-cause-says-kathy-klausmeier-is-creating-unnecessary-chaos-in-baltimore-countys-inspector-general-office\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause Maryland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T17:46:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-cause-share-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/press\/common-cause-says-kathy-klausmeier-is-creating-unnecessary-chaos-in-baltimore-countys-inspector-general-office\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/press\/common-cause-says-kathy-klausmeier-is-creating-unnecessary-chaos-in-baltimore-countys-inspector-general-office\/\",\"name\":\"Common Cause says Kathy Klausmeier is creating \u201cunnecessary chaos\u201d in Baltimore County\u2019s inspector general office - 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