The Baltimore County Council tonight voted against Kathy Klausmeier’s nominee for inspector general.

In a stunning rebuke to a county executive they appointed seven months ago, the Council failed to confirm Khadija Walker as a replacement for Kelly Madigan, the county’s popular “fraud, waste and abuse” watchdog.

The decision – the first time the Council has rejected a nominee put forward by a county executive, according to two lawmakers tonight – leaves Madigan as inspector general until a “qualified” candidate is confirmed.

BREAKING: Klausmeier just announced that she will not submit another name for inspector general, leaving Madigan in the position through 2026.

“I intend to leave any future appointment – or reappointment – of an inspector general to the next county executive or until an independent appointment board is established by the County Council and voters,” she said in a statement released tonight by her office.

“This means that the current inspector general [Madigan] will remain in a holdover role . . . and will continue in this role until either her successor qualifies or she is reappointed and confirmed.”

In response to lawmakers who very publicly defied her tonight, she said, “I was appointed by the County Council to serve as county executive, and I remain focused on serving the remainder of my time in this office by supporting our dedicated employees, managing through difficult fiscal realities and following through on community investments.”

How Members Voted

The five members who voted against the nominee were Todd Crandell (R, 7th), Mike Ertel (D, 6th), David Marks (R, 5th), Izzy Patoka (D, 2nd) and Wade Kach (R, 3rd).

The only votes for Walker came from Julian E. Jones Jr. (D, 4th), whose fundraising activities and lobbying on behalf of a political donor were the subject of two critical Madigan reports, and Pat Young (D, 1st), who previously voiced support for Madigan.

A tense audience erupted into jeers and sarcastic claps after Jones described tonight’s vote as “mob rule.”

“This is a sad day for this council, a sad day for Baltimore County, and an especially disheartening day for this Walker, who deserved a fair evaluation and not deserve to be treated in this way,” Jones said in a prepared statement.

Young said his role as a councilman was not to evaluate whether “the process” used by the administration was proper, but rather whether the candidate was qualified. After meeting with Walker last week, Young said he determined “she was absolutely qualified and could absolutely do the job.”

Ertel countered Young’s argument, saying the Council’s role goes beyond simply determining if someone is qualified, which is the purview of the HR department, to make sure that public trust in county government is restored.

“This experience is something we will learn from,” Ertel said, saying the inspector general’s office must not be influenced “by any politics at all.”

Councilman Marks said he never received so many emails and phone calls calling for Madigan to continue as inspector general.

“The level of public attention came from around Baltimore County and all political persuasions, many of whom have never contacted our office before,” Marks said. “They have almost all been of one opinion that Ms. Madigan deserves to be reappointed.”

The Association of Inspectors General and Common Cause Maryland were among the professional and good-government groups that criticized the search process and voiced support for Madigan, who was appointed inspector general in 2000 .

But, as Marks noted, her biggest support came from county residents, who staged a rally in front of the Historic Courthouse in Towson last week, saying they were tired of waste, corruption and “Tammany Hall” politics.

• See here for The Brew’s detailed coverage of the dispute.