Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan released a report Wednesday clearing outgoing County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. of providing improper procurements and payments to a former county employee.

But a former county official who brought a public records lawsuit regarding the allegations says he will continue to seek accountability for the payments.

According to the report, Madigan’s office received several complaints that former Baltimore County firefighter Philip Tirabassi was given an improper $83,675 retirement settlement in 2020 because of a personal relationship he and his brother, John Tirabassi, had with Olszewski.

Madigan’s office found that the retirement settlement was proper because it was an administrative claim that could be settled by the county attorney pursuant to county code. However, as approved by the then-county administrative officer, Tirabassi was also given a series of hours for permission leave, which Madigan’s report takes exception to because he had ample vacation and compensatory time available. P-leave is to be used for specific purposes, like driver’s license renewals necessary for county employment or court appearances in response to subpoenas.

There also were allegations that county administrators attempted to hide Philip Tirabassi’s retirement settlement from the County Council.

But Madigan’s report found “no evidence of a willful intent” to hide the settlement, as both the county attorney and the director of the Baltimore County Office of Budget and Finance were new in their roles, and notifying the County Council of the resolution of claims and lawsuits was a new requirement.

“I have always said my decisions are guided by fairness, transparency, and a steadfast commitment to serving the public interest,” Olszewski, who will resign as county executive early next year to serve in Congress, said in a statement. “The findings of this independent investigation by the Office of the Inspector General leaves no doubt in its affirmation of my integrity in how I operate and lead.”

Neither Tirabassi nor his attorney, Jay Miller, was able to be reached by The Baltimore Sun for this story.

Allegations also were brought to Madigan’s attention that documents pertaining to the settlement were unlawfully withheld in response to a Maryland Public Information Act, MPIA request, causing the county to spend more than $364,000 to defend its actions in court.

“That is taxpayer money to fight taxpayers … to keep them from knowing the facts,” said former county administrative officer Fred Homan.

According to Madigan, the MPIA Ombudsman and the Baltimore County Circuit Court both found the withholding of certain settlement agreement documents improper under the specifications of the state law that governs MPIA requests while agreeing that others were properly disclosed.

Homan filed the lawsuit regarding the MPIA request of Tirabassi’s retirement benefits. He said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun Wednesday that Madigan has not spoken with him about this case — “not once.”

“This whole thing has been a cover-up for three and a half damn years, and it’s all because they signed an agreement that violated state law,” said Homan. “They got caught.”

Additionally, the report states that complaints were sent to the office alleging that the county spent $4.2 million on dump trucks from Peterbilt Motors, a company that employed John Tirabassi.

Madigan’s office found no evidence of wrongdoing in the procurement process, as they were purchased through a contract with Sourcewell, a national purchasing alliance that entered into a contract with Peterbilt Motors in 2020.

“The Office found no evidence that the County Executive’s friendship with J. Tirabassi resulted in any improper benefits being given to Tirabassi or J. Tirabassi by the County,” Madigan wrote in the report’s conclusion.

“I believe that an open and accountable Baltimore County is vital to the long-term success of our communities,” said Olszewski. “With this matter now definitively resolved, I will continue working tirelessly for the betterment of our communities, just as I continue to also uphold the trust that the public has placed in me.”

However, Homan said the battle, which he described as officials “circling the wagons” to protect “the guy who ran for the House of Representatives,” is not over.

“Whoever the interim county executive is is going to have to deal with this now,” he said.

Have a news tip? Contact Hannah Gaskill at hgaskill @baltsun.com.