Baltimore County’s six-hour hearing on whether Khadija Walker should be the next inspector general began with a protest outside the county courthouse, as dozens of current and former elected officials, residents and activists urged the reappointment of the current IG, Kelly Madigan.

Peta Richkus, a former top official in the administration of Gov. Parris Glendening who organized the rally, questioned County Executive Kathy Klausmeier’s move to replace Madigan, who was named “fraud fighter of the year” by her peers in April.

“Actions speak louder than words, and their actions say this: ‘We don’t want honest government. We don’t want uncomfortable truths. We want to protect the old culture, the culture of Spiro Agnew and Dale Anderson, where connections and personal gain matter more than stewardship and accountability on public trust,’” Richkus declared.

The activist was referring to past county executives Spiro Agnew and Dale Anderson, who both faced criminal charges for misconduct that occurred while they were in the county’s top job. Agnew resigned the vice presidency.

Their tenures, and those of some of their successors, have led to accusations of a “pay-to-play” culture in the county. Such concerns prompted former County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. to create the inspector’s position in 2020 and name Madigan to the post.

Madigan learned in May that Klausmeier, a longtime state lawmaker whom the council picked to replace Olszewski after his election to Congress, was not planning to reappoint her. Klausmeier launched an open search and selected Walker, a former federal official who had spent most of her career at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Walker spent much of Tuesday’s meeting with individual council members to convince them of her ability to do the job. The only council member who has not supported Madigan is Julian Jones, whom Madigan investigated previously. Jones urged his colleagues to give Walker a chance and praised her experience.

At both the protest and the council hearing, Madigan’s supporters spoke more of the flawed process than the merits of Walker’s nomination.

One protester held up a sign that said, “Shame on you, Kathy.” Another sign said, “No Queens, Either,” referring to the Donald Trump “No Kings” rallies this summer.

Klausmeier issued an open letter this week stating that Walker’s “impressive credentials have come under attack for political reasons” and urging the council to confirm her pick. Klausmeier has declined multiple requests for interviews and has given no opportunity for reporters or the public to ask questions about the IG process in recent weeks.

“This selection process has achieved exactly what we set out to do; to identify the most qualified candidate,” she said in the letter. “I urge the members of the Baltimore County Council as well as our residents to consider Khadija Walker’s experience, leadership, and dedication to open, honest, and accountable government.”

Walker, who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, told the County Council that her two decades looking into water issues in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi, have prepared her for working with local governments and holding them accountable.

“I have a proven ability to identify risk, evaluate evidence and reach conclusions based on facts,” she said. “I believe the role of the inspector general is not only about detecting problems but offering solutions rooted in evidence, driven by objectivity and aimed at institutional improvement.”

Walker also said her extensive auditing experience was core to the inspector general’s position and different from the work a county auditor would do, because it has included environmental infrastructure and matters that are beyond financial.

After she fielded questions from the council, 33 members of the public testified — 12 in support of Walker, 18 against and three undecided.

Most of the testimony centered around the process, which even some of Walker’s supporters agreed was flawed.

Klausmeier first said the county charter language led her to create an open process, when she could have just reappointed Madigan. She then said Madigan never told her she wanted to stay; Madigan, in fact, had sent several emails indicating she wanted a meeting to say exactly that.

Then Klausmeier said she was setting up a five-member panel to make recommendations and she would choose from that. When one member couldn’t make the meetings, Klausmeier changed it to a four-person panel that made recommendations. A three-person panel that included Klausmeier ultimately selected Walker. It included a former colleague of Walker’s, but she has said they did not work closely and had not spoken in a decade.

Del. N. Scott Phillips asked the council to set all that aside and look at Walker as a person.

“This nomination was not rushed. It was not reactive,” Phillips said. He also said choosing Walker would be a “reset” over an ugly and divisive process, because she would bring a fresh perspective and doesn’t know the political players. Others have argued that Walker’s outsider status means a learning curve, whereas Madigan has four years of experience in the job and can navigate a complex county with a $5 billion budget.

Even the NAACP’s local chapters seemed divided over the nominee, with Randallstown NAACP President Tekemia Dorsey addressing the office’s independence and the importance of a transparent process, and Baltimore County NAACP President Danita Tolson speaking about equity and fairness for Black women at a time when diversity initiatives are under attack.

“I want to speak not as the Baltimore County NAACP president now but as Dr. Danita Tolson, as a Black female,” she said. “I am deeply troubled that we are sitting here having discussions in 2025 about an African American woman, a young lady who is highly qualified. Would we be having the same discussions if she was Caucasian or a man?”

Council Chair Mike Ertel challenged that assertion, saying the County Council had confirmed many Black officials to top spots. Among them: a fire chief, a police chief, several Black school superintendents and the first two Black county administrators.

Walker, if confirmed, would be the county’s first Black inspector general.