Holmes Moves to Put an Independent Inspector General on the June Ballot
MITCHELLVILLE — Greg Holmes is forcing a countywide vote on government accountability — and he’s doing it by going straight to the Charter.
Holmes, a candidate for Prince George’s County Executive, announced Monday that he is pushing a ballot initiative to permanently embed an independent Office of Inspector General (OIG) into the county’s governing document. If voters approve it in June, the watchdog becomes constitutionally protected — insulated from political pressure, budget games, and administrative retaliation.
The move is a direct challenge to the long‑running complaint from residents that oversight in Prince George’s County is too often discretionary, too often political, and too often vulnerable to whoever holds power.
The measure will appear on the General Election ballot.
Charter amendments go on the ballot for the general election in November.
Key structural changes Holmes is putting before voters:
- Independent OIG with subpoena power
- Full jurisdiction over all county departments, agencies, and contractors
- Authority to audit procurement, contracts, and hiring practices
- Criminal penalties for whistleblower retaliation
- Annual public accountability report
- Inspector General appointed on merit, not politics
- Four‑year fixed term; removal only by a seven‑member Council vote
- Charter‑level protection — cannot be reorganized or defunded without another public vote
Holmes framed the initiative as a shift in who controls oversight — away from elected officials and toward the electorate itself.
> “Accountability cannot be a campaign promise. It should be expected and it’s the law,” Holmes said in the announcement. “This ballot initiative takes the power to audit and investigate out of the hands of politics — and places it in the hands of Prince George’s County residents.”
Why it matters
Prince George’s County has wrestled for years with public skepticism around procurement, contracting, and internal investigations. Oversight offices have existed — but their independence has been debated, their authority limited, and their budgets subject to political discretion.
By elevating the OIG to the Charter, Holmes is proposing a structural fix rather than an administrative one. Future county executives would not be able to fold the office into another department, starve it of funding, or narrow its jurisdiction without returning to the voters.
Political context
Holmes, Managing Principal of HV Global, is running on a platform built around Economic Growth, Security, Affordability, and Accountability. The OIG amendment is positioned as the backbone of that final pillar — a permanent mechanism rather than a campaign talking point.
The measure will appear on the General Election ballot.