Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Kleine has resigned after a months-long ethics investigation. County Executive Marc Elrich has nominated Budget Director and former State Senator Rich Madaleno to take Kleine’s place.

Kleine was cited for ethics violations related to the promotion of a book he wrote, and his relationship with two contractors. He was fined $5,000 for the violations, though county lawmakers questioned whether his actions warranted further punishment.

The investigation into Kleine relates, in part, to his time as the City of Baltimore’s Budget Director, when he worked closely with two contractors—Clear Impact and Balancing Act—which offer performance management and budget software. When he left that job in 2018, he formed a consulting firm, where he signed a contract with Balancing Act for him to help promote the company, and in turn, received a portion of the licensing sales of their software. He also wrote a book, City on the Line, about his work in Baltimore.

Kleine was appointed to Elrich’s transition team in 2018, and later given the county’s top administrative job. The Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into Kleine last year and found instances of Klein connecting both Balancing Act and Clear Impact to Montgomery County. The companies received contracts with the county through both competitive and non-competitive bids. The investigation also found Kleine used county money to promote his book, which the county purchased 89 copies of.

The county board discussed the damning investigation report for almost two hours in a July meeting. Several council members questioned whether Kleine should continue to have his current job. His 2019 salary was $280,000.