ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — In a significant development for Howard County, a newly proposed bill seeks to enhance the independence of the inspector general, underpinning the establishment of a dedicated monitoring office. This initiative has drawn attention to an existing division among the county council members as they near the end of their current term.
Council Bill 69, brought forth by District 4 Councilmember Deb Jung, aims to designate the inspector general as the official custodian of pertinent records. A public hearing on this matter is slated for Monday, October 19th, at 7 p.m., and a decisive vote is expected on Friday, October 30th.
This upcoming vote will mark the last session for the current council prior to the elections in November.
The urgency for this legislation follows inspector general Kelly Madigan’s recent testimony, during which she revealed that her office has received a substantial 97 complaints since its inception this year, yet has been unable to fully investigate all reported issues due to a lack of access to essential personnel records.
Jung emphasized that this situation highlights the critical need for the proposed bill. She stated, “She had a number of claims that she had to dismiss simply because she didn’t have access to records. That’s not what we want for our inspector general. We passed an inspector general bill in order to ensure that [they]could ferret out waste, fraud, and abuse, and if her hands are tied behind her back, then she will not be able to do so.”
The movement towards a public hearing faced initial resistance. Earlier this month, a brief yet intense discussion among council members resulted in Chair Opel Jones’ motion to prevent the bill from progressing being narrowly defeated with a vote of 3 to 2.
Access to records for inspectors general across Maryland has emerged as a trending issue, particularly highlighted by recent legal developments in Baltimore City. Court rulings have clarified that the Maryland Public Information Act does not impede IG subpoenas.
Moreover, Howard County Delegate Chao Wu is actively pursuing a state-level solution in the upcoming legislative session.
Chair Jones cited this ongoing state work as one reason he believes the bill to be redundant. He also raised concerns regarding the legal robustness of the proposal. “I don’t believe that the inspector general should have unfettered access. I think that the inspector general should have the direct access that she currently has. She’s never been barred from any kind of information,” Jones asserted. “The narrative that her hands are tied behind her back or she can’t get information is totally false.”
Diverging from her colleagues, District 3 Councilwoman Christiana Rigby, who also voted against the bill’s advancement, commented on a broader issue of treatment towards Black leaders within the council. “My concern now is about a pattern of behavior towards Black men in leadership,” Rigby stated.
Jones echoed her sentiments, adding, “I can absolutely speak to the fact that there are definitely racial undertones from Councilmember Jung and other elected officials that go after unfairly elected officials of color.”
In a response to these allegations, Jung released a statement to WMAR-2 News, labeling the comments from Rigby and Jones as “meritless” and suggesting they distract from the core objective of ensuring the inspector general has the tools required to perform her role effectively.
Jung’s statement articulated her position:
Rigby and Jones’ claims are meritless and a distraction from the issue at hand- giving the Inspector General the tools she needs to do her job. Investigating waste, fraud, and abuse is a serious matter. All elected officials should support these efforts, whether it involves a multimillion-dollar grant or a bill to ensure the IG has access to the records she needs to complete investigations. No one should be beyond scrutiny.
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