What began as a warning from Baltimore City's top watchdog back in May is now inching toward reality in Baltimore County.

In a story first reported by WJZ, Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming cautioned county leaders that their Inspector General's independence could be compromised without structural protections, just as city voters moved to safeguard hers in 2022.

An appointment board proposed

Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka proposed establishing an Inspector General Appointment Board.

Patoka's proposal would create a seven-member independent board responsible for appointing and reappointing the county's Inspector General, insulating the process from political influence. 

The effort comes amid controversy surrounding current Inspector General Kelly Madigan, who says she was blindsided when Interim County Executive Kathy Klausmeier required her to reapply for the position she helped create five years ago.

"Thirty-four public reports, five annual reports... made over a hundred recommendations," Madigan said when she spoke with WJZ in early May, underscoring her office's accomplishments.

Patoka stressed that this would not be an advisory or oversight group. 

"Let me repeat, it is not an advisory board," he said. "It is not an oversight board. It is an appointment board."

Risking undermining the Inspector General

In May, WJZ spoke with Cumming in Baltimore City, where an 87% majority of voters approved a charter amendment to create an independent advisory board free of elected officials. 

She warned then that Baltimore County risked undermining its own Inspector General without similar action.

"Saying you have an Inspector General that's independent but keeping her under the watchdog of an elected official—that's not true independence," Cumming said.

What's the purpose of the appointment board?

Cumming is publicly supporting Patoka's proposal.

"I strongly support this bill," she said Monday. "As the Inspector General of Baltimore City, I worked with the City Council to pass a similar amendment. I have complete confidence Baltimore County voters will stand with their Inspector General as ours did."

Under Patoka's proposal, the appointment board would consist of:

• A County Executive appointee
• A County Council appointee
• A retired judge selected by the Director of the Ethics Commission
• A member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• A member of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants
• A faculty member from a Baltimore County college or university
• A faculty member from a Historically Black College or University in the Baltimore region

Madigan is being interviewed for reappointment

Madigan is undergoing a formal interview process to determine whether she will be reappointed. Patoka says he hopes her name is forwarded to the council.

"I'm hoping we can be beyond this point and move on with the other business of Baltimore County government," Patoka said.

If the charter amendment gains five votes on the County Council, it would go before voters in the 2026 election.