The Baltimore County Council Monday night unanimously agreed to proposals to protect and strengthen the office of inspector general, including enshrining it in the county charter.
Before the vote, Council Chairman Julian Jones withdrew amendments to the legislation he had proposed which had come under withering criticism from those who said he was trying to weaken the IG office.
“From the very beginning, I have always been very supportive of the office of inspector general,” Jones told the council as he was withdrawing his amendments.
Councilman Izzy Patoka, a Democrat, was the only councilman besides Jones to speak on the legislation, which has dominated the council for weeks.
“I am really pleased with where we are now as opposed to where we were a week ago or even slightly before that, that we are now moving forward with a productive path for the county in terms of the office of the inspector general,” Patoka said.
“Wish it hadn’t taken this long to get to this point,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. He and Inspector General Kelly Madigan held a victory lap news conference before the vote.
Council members told WYPR last week that they planned to vote against Jones’ amendments. They especially disliked one that would have established an advisory board for the inspector general’s office.
It appeared unlikely that Jones could have gotten even a second from a council member to bring the amendments to a vote.
Jones said he had heard concerns from county employees as well as others about the IG office so an advisory board was needed as a check on power.
But those opposed to that idea said it would erode the independence of the inspector general, who roots out waste, fraud and abuse in county government.
The legislation that passed Monday night puts on the November 2024 ballot the proposal to add the IG office to the county charter.
Madigan said having the inspector general in the charter “makes it that much more difficult to remove or to make major edits to the office.”
The legislation also would make it more politically difficult for the county executive and the County Council to gut the inspector general’s budget, which is under their control. If the IG office’s annual budget is cut, it has to be explained in writing and in time for public hearings on the county’s spending plan.
It also reduces the time the inspector general has to wait before issuing a subpoena for county documents from 90 to 30 days.
The introduction of the legislation follows a months-long study of the inspector general’s office by The Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics and Accountability.
Madigan said, “This bill is about the work of the commission and their recommendations.”
Inspector General Madigan’s dealings with county officials have at times been rocky.
Chairman Jones twice has been the target of Madigan investigations. In one instance he was tagged because his official emails included a donate button for his campaign. In another Madigan said Jones helped to pave the way for a commercial alley to be repaired by the county.
In both instances, Jones said he had done nothing wrong and questioned Madigan’s practices.
In March of 2022, WYPR obtained emails between Madigan and Olszewski’s then chief of staff Patrick Murray detailing an effort by Murray to make Madigan explain in writing why she was requesting records.
In May of 2021, Councilwoman Cathy Bevins lambasted Madigan during a public hearing. Bevins criticized Madigan’s investigation of her then campaign treasurer Chris McCollum.
Madigan’s investigation centered on questionable purchases McCollum made when he was the director of the Baltimore County Agricultural Center.
Since then, Bevins decided not to run for reelection once it was disclosed she had briefly moved out of her councilmanic district. Earlier this year, McCollum pleaded guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from Bevins’ campaign.
“Yes there have been fits and starts and that’s not unusual for a relatively new office,” Madigan said. “I’m hoping that this passing of the legislation will kind of be the final exclamation point for calendar year 2023.”
