A Baltimore County employee used a county car when helping a relative, Congressman Johnny Olszewski, run for political office.
A report released Tuesday by Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan did not name Olszewski or the employee but WYPR has confirmed through a former campaign aide that it was the former county executive’s campaign.
The aide declined to comment, saying Madigan’s report speaks for itself.
In a statement Olszewski said, "All Baltimore County employees must be held to the same high standards, including relatives that we love and care about."
The employee, who no longer works for the county, was a crew chief in the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability.
Madigan said the most telling piece of the report is that her office received a detailed, anonymous complaint.
“Which says to me that this conduct had been ongoing and had been noticed by at least one person who then brought it to our attention,” Madigan said.
According to the report, the crew chief made 36 stops at Olszewski’s campaign headquarters in the county car from March of 2022 until December of 2024. The employee spent nearly 90 hours there.
Ten additional stops, totalling more than 11 hours, were made at a second campaign-related location, this one in Baltimore City. That location was used to put together campaign signs.
Olszewski ran for reelection as county executive in 2022 then was elected to Congress in 2024.
According to Baltimore County Code, an employee cannot be engaged in political activities while on the job.
Madigan’s investigation also found that the GPS data that tracks the crew chief’s county car was not being properly monitored by a supervisor.
Madigan said the misuse of county vehicles is an ongoing issue. Several recent IG investigations have involved the GPS system not being used properly.
“Baltimore County has spent somewhere around $338,000 since August of 2022 on this system and the system is not being utilized,” Madigan said.
In a response to Madigan’s report, County Administrative Officer D’Andrea Walker said a “comprehensive review” of county vehicle-related policies is being done. Walker said they also plan to provide extensive training on how to manage the county’s GPS system for tracking vehicles.
