This story was updated at 10:26 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2020, to include the date that Jennifer Bryant became acting budget director.
Rich Madaleno, Montgomery County’s former budget director, will officially take the reins as the county’s chief administrative officer.
He has served as acting CAO for more than a month after Andrew Kleine resigned in August after violating the county’s ethics policy.
The County Council interviewed Madaleno on Sept. 22 and unanimously voted to confirm him for the position on Tuesday.
Madaleno, who grew up in Montgomery County, served as the county’s budget director since 2018.
County Executive Marc Elrich nominated Madaleno to take over Kleine’s position. Madaleno has been acting CAO since Aug. 13.
He is the first county CAO with a political background — he was a state senator representing Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, Wheaton and Kensington from 2007 to 2018.
He also served as a state delegate in the same district from 2003 to 2007.
Madaleno, 55, lost in 2018 in the Democratic primary for governor.
He was first employed with the county from 1995 to 2002 as a legislative analyst and lobbyist in the county’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Between 1989 and 1995, he served as a budget analyst and eventually a senior staff analyst with the state Department of Legislative Services.
Madaleno holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Russian studies and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.
He was confirmed at a salary of $250,000 for his new position.
Jennifer Bryant, who has served as the county’s deputy budget director since July 2019, has been acting budget director since Aug. 13. The new budget director will need to be approved by the County Council.
During Madaleno’s interview with the council, he said his top priorities for the position are focusing on responding and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also said he plans to enhance performance management and efficiency in county operations and improve communication between the council and the administrative branch.
The only potential conflict of interest that was identified by Madaleno is his husband Mark Hodge’s employment with the county.
Hodge has served as the county health department’s assistant chief operating officer since 2001. Madaleno has requested the county’s Ethics Commission to provide a ruling on any potential issues in the situation.
He told the council that all performance bonuses and salary decisions for certain employees in Hodge’s employee grade would be assigned to the deputy chief operating officer. Any potential grievances involving Hodge would also be handled by someone else, he said.
Council Member Nancy Navarro said Tuesday evening that she feels Madaleno is the right person for the job.
“I think the executive obviously has the prerogative of choosing his appointees and it’s a very important appointee, obviously,” she said. “I give deference to that. During our interview, I think it was a very thorough interview.”
Council Member Hans Riemer also said Tuesday evening that Madaleno is an “unconventional choice” because of his political background, but that he’s “very knowledgeable” and has insight into the state.
“I think Rich can succeed in that role, but it will need support from strong operational managers to fill that need and honestly, I’m concerned about that whole management team,” he said. “I don’t think they’re getting the job done. I think that there are some significant issues with the management of the county government.
“I also think that Rich, hopefully, can resolve some of those issues. I don’t think he’s going to get overwhelmed by the job.”
Asked what specific issues he was referring to, Riemer said there’s “so much.”
“What’s not working this week? What’s breaking down this week?” he said.
Navarro said there have been some concerns about making sure that Madaleno can separate his political background with the new position. But she felt he addressed those during the interview.
“To me, what’s important is that he understand that it’s our expectation that he be there to be the top manager for county government and he needs to make sure that political activities and nuances are kept at bay,” she said. “That’s what the residents expect.”
Riemer said he worries about Madaleno’s political background, as well, but thinks Madaleno could compensate by having other people handle more of the operational responsibilities.
There have also been some concerns about potential conflict of interest with Madaleno’s husband being employed by the county, Navarro said.
“I will admit, it is a bit of a concern. It’s very unique,” she said. “Obviously, his husband has been working with the county for a very long time and it’s something that we will pay close attention to to make sure there’s no conflict.
“I think that we were all really eager to make sure that someone was in that position and it is of utmost important to have somebody that is able to then keep track of everything and [then] follow through — more than ever. In some ways, most of us were relieved.”
Briana Adhikusuma can be reached at briana.adhikusuma@moco360.media.
