Imagine you’re desperate to get a hotly contested job. Several leaders in the organization loudly throw their support to you, without even waiting to see who else has applied — and use their power to get you the job. Do you a) immediately dig for ways to blow the whistle on your supporters, or b) express your gratitude and return the favor?
You don’t have to answer that to see what a serious conflict has been created if this information goes public, whether in appearance or reality — or both.
In Baltimore County, this hypothetical is even worse. The incumbent Inspector General, Kelly Madigan, didn’t just accept the support of people she is sworn to investigate, she publicly demanded it. Several County Council members blindly acquiesced to that demand, committing themselves to support her before learning who else applied or was nominated, and refusing to meaningfully consider the qualifications of a nominee with over 20 years of lauded, award-winning federal inspector general experience. They have done an enormous political favor for Ms. Madigan in the face of significant political pressure, making each of them beholden to the other.
No minor appointment, this position wields great power in rooting out and recommending ways to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, and in the process potentially destroying people’s reputations and careers through a virtually unchecked use of investigatory power. That’s not hyperbole. By design, the IG has very few internal checks on her power to ensure her independence, as it should be.
The main issue isn’t that there is proof Kelly Madigan abused her investigatory power. It’s that she waged an extraordinary public relations and political campaign, including over a dozen media interviews, to prevent consideration of an otherwise highly qualified candidate so she could keep her job. In doing so, she implicitly demanded loyalty from the people who could hire or fire her, and both sides knew the consequences of rejecting her public demands.
By contrast, judges and prosecutors, who also wield great power over people’s lives and reputations, have codes of conduct that prohibit the type of political behavior Ms. Madigan engaged in from the moment she was denied the automatic reappointment she wanted. Similarly, federal watchdogs, including the rejected nominee Khadija Walker, swear an oath to avoid all political involvement, even involving their appointment or removal.
The county charter authorizes the county executive to decide whether to reappoint the incumbent IG or search for a different one. County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, while praising Ms. Madigan’s work, was open to the possibility that a better-qualified candidate could be found through a search process. The current IG appointment process won the unanimous backing of the council in 2023, and over 80% of voters in 2024. That process not only followed the council-supported procedure but also exceeded legal requirements by creating an outside panel of experts to review applicants.
Instead of refraining from political activity and seeking reappointment on the basis of integrity and ability, Ms. Madigan, aided by Councilman Izzy Patoka, launched a political pressure campaign. Four council members responded by publicly joining the “No one but Madigan” camp before the selection process began, ignoring their legislative duty to evaluate the nominee before deciding. Ms. Madigan now remains in office, at least partially due to the political debt she demanded and received from these council members. Only Councilman Julian Jones and Pat Young had the courage to stand up to this political pressure campaign.
Ideas have been floated to remove both the county executive and the County Council from this process, and that’s probably a good idea. There is even legislation to that effect, which should be studied extensively and publicly vetted for possible consideration by the voters. A code of conduct for an inspector general, similar to the federal oath, should be part of that discussion.
Will the inspector general now abstain from the political gamesmanship she used to keep her job? Will she avoid the temptation to retaliate against enemies or favor allies — political behavior that has become shockingly common in this country? While anything is possible, every move Ms. Madigan now makes will be tarnished with the serious appearance of conflict that she created. Like it or not, Kelly Madigan and certain members of the County Council have so tainted her position that she should be disqualified from being reappointed as the IG by the next county executive or an independent panel. Baltimore County deserved better.
John Hohman served as Baltimore County fire chief from 2000 to 2017.