The process set up by Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier with the stated purpose of providing “independence” and “accountability” in the selection of a new inspector general has been thrown into turmoil, with a single member of the selection panel – and apparently Klausmeier herself – participating directly in the final round of candidate interviews.

The Inspector General Selection Panel met twice last week to interview five candidates for the post, including incumbent Kelly Madigan, whose reappointment to a second term was rejected by Klausmeier, who said county law requires an open search for the position.

During her panel interview on Wednesday evening that was closed to the public, Madigan said she was told that a second round of interviews would be conducted by Arthur A. Elkins Jr., the only panel member who was not present at last week’s sessions.

“They basically said, you’ll probably not be seeing us again,” Madigan told The Brew.

The county’s online site shows no future meetings scheduled for the panel.

4 p.m. UPDATE: The online site has now confirmed that “three candidates have been selected by the panel to move forward for a final round of interviews with County Executive Klausmeier, panel member Arthur Elkins and Baltimore County Ethics Commission member Mandee Heinl.” Heinl is former chief of staff to County Councilwoman Vicki Almond and currently a land use attorney at Saul Ewing.

In the FAQs about the panel, Klausmeier pledged that its five members would “determine which candidates to interview, interview selected candidates and recommend final candidates to send to the County Executive for consideration.”

She made that pledge following considerable blowback from county residents, Common Cause and others that she was succumbing to political pressure to fire Madigan in retaliation for her reports that documented wasteful spending and inside dealmaking by current and former officials, some close to County Executive Johnny Olszewski.

Now a member of the U.S. Congress, Olszewski has denied that he asked Klausmeier to fire Madigan, who he tried to rein in through legislation that would restrict her investigative work. The 2021 legislation was withdrawn by Olszewski after a public outcry.

Klausmeier, who replaced Olszewski as county executive last January, notified Madigan on May 12 that her term as inspector general had expired and she would not be automatically reappointed to a second term, but could reapply for the position.

Three days earlier, The Brew reported, Madigan had submitted to Klausmeier’s staff a report outlining improper vehicle use by Johnny Olszewski’s uncle, who spent hundreds of hours of county time at his nephew’s 2022 and 2024 campaign office and carted around campaign signs in his county-supplied truck.

Klausmeier’s office did not respond to a series of questions about whether she or her immediate staff planned to join Elkins as he continued with the selection process.

“Loud and clear”

Peta N. Richkus, who helped organize the petition drive calling on Klausmeier to retain Madigan, today expressed anger at the latest development.

“The county executive appears determined to engineer a process that produces her preferred outcome – an inspector general who bows to political pressure. Not the current IG, Kelly Madigan, who has been recognized for ‘her courage, leadership and focus on speaking truth to power’ by the Maryland Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners,” Richkus said in a written statement.

“Intentional or not, the message is unmistakable, and the public and county employees are hearing it loud and clear,” she added.

“The county executive appears determined to engineer a process that produces her preferred outcome – an inspector general who bows to political pressure”  – Peta Richkus.

Madigan declined comment today except to confirm that she was told by the panel that Elkins would be taking over the interview process.

Elkins previously served as inspector general at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and worked closely with the WSSC’s general counsel, Amanda Conn, who is now Klausmeier’s chief of staff and deeply involved in the IG selection process along with Deputy COS Valerie Roddy.

At the brief public sessions last week, the panel disclosed that only 8 of 23 applicants met the minimal qualifications for the inspector general job.

Five were selected for initial interviews: two last Monday and three last Wednesday. Subsequently, one of the candidates withdrew, leaving four candidates at present, including Madigan.

UPDATE: The county website now says three unnamed candidates will go for the final round of interviews Unclear whether Kelly Madigan is on the list.

The panel members who attended last week’s meetings were Kathleen Cox, a retired Baltimore County judge; Thomas Dewberry, a former state delegate; William Johnson, a retired inspector general for the Maryland Department of Human Services; and King, a lawyer in private practices who was selected by County Council Chairman Mike Ertel.

Whomever Kalusmeier selects as IG, the candidate must be approved by the Council, a majority of whom have told media outlets that they favor Madigan.

The major holdout is 4th District Democrat and former Council Chair Julian E. Jones Jr., who has been the subject of two Madigan investigations – 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.

Madigan is the county’s first inspector general, charged with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse by investigating employee and citizen complaints. Since hired in January 2020, she and her small team have reviewed 900 complaints and have produced over 35 public reports.

• To reach a reporter: reuttermark@yahoo.com