After the debate surrounding the Baltimore County inspector general nomination of Khadija Walker and concerns about the selection process, county councilmembers say they plan to make changes moving forward.
“We and the public had a lot of concerns with how the process was handled,” County Councilman Mike Ertel said during the meeting Monday night.
County Councilman Izzy Patoka has proposed legislation that would amend the county charter to create an inspector general appointment board. The board, composed of seven members, would ensure that individuals sitting on the selection board do not work for the state or county, are not elected officials, and are not family members of elected county officers, among other requirements.
“Bill 5025 is a good government initiative that takes the politics out of the inspector general selection process,” Patoka said. “It creates an independent appointment board.”
“There’s a draft of potential legislation to try to make it less political, and I’m open to all conversations,” Councilman Pat Young said.
Questions arose after County Executive Kathy Klausmeier did not initially reappoint current Inspector General Kelly Madigan. During the final round of interviews, three candidates were interviewed by a panel that included Klausmeier. Klausmeier later selected Walker, saying she “stood out as the most qualified candidate.”
“Why would we have a search process to replace someone who really has shown to be an outstanding employee? That still baffles me,” Patoka said.
Community members, state and local leaders, and watchdog organizations voiced concerns about a lack of transparency in the selection process.
The Association of Inspectors General sent a letter to the Baltimore County Council and County Executive Kathy Klausmeier raising concerns.
“An inspector general must be selected through an open and transparent process that ensures independence, not one controlled exclusively by elected officials who may themselves fall under the IG’s jurisdiction,” Will Fletcher, president of the AIG, said. “That’s unfortunately what appears to be happening in Baltimore County. Best practices and good governance demand safeguards that protect the integrity and objectivity of the oversight function.”
County Councilman David Marks said he supports Patoka’s legislation and is co-sponsoring it. Ertel said he is “generally supportive” of the proposed legislation to establish an independent IG appointment board but said additional language may need to be added. He said it was “very likely” he would introduce additional legislation or advocate for other changes in the IG appointment and selection process moving forward.
Residency was also a major concern raised by council members and community members. While residency was not a requirement, Walker was selected despite living in Fredericksburg, Virginia, hours away from Baltimore County.
“I’ve always believed that leadership positions in government, you need to be part of the community and there are ways to do that, to ensure that all of our department heads are somehow, if they don’t live in Baltimore County, they should be part of a community in Baltimore County,” Patoka said.
However, when asked if he planned to propose legislation requiring residency, he said, “I’m not sure about that, because I don’t think that you want to dilute talent, but if someone is not a resident, they still should be part of the community, and that’s really, really important. And I’ll have initiatives that you’ll hear about in the future.”
“I believe that it should at least be the Baltimore metro area or a requirement that you maintain a residence in Baltimore County,” Ertel said in an email.
Marks said he was “open to the idea” and said there were other offices where residency requirements should be considered, such as administrative law judges.
Marks is also sponsoring a resolution extending oversight of the IG to Baltimore County Public Schools.
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