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Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said in a memo Thursday that he was unaware of allegations that his office had not cooperated with investigations by the inspector general's office.

In the memo, sent to Council President Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, Leggett said he was "concerned" over the allegations and how they were brought to light.

Inspector General Thomas J. Dagley told the County Council's audit committee Tuesday that some county officials have interfered with investigations by his office.

Dagley told the committee some officials hampered investigations by his office into programs at the police department and a Health and Human Services program.

"I have never been informed of any ‘impairments' from my staff nor have I been given the opportunity to respond to any lack of cooperation," Leggett wrote. "I have asked the Inspector General to identify to me as soon as possible specific areas where he has not received cooperation from Executive Branch Departments."

"I would also ask that any conversations about these allegations between the County Council and the Inspector General occur in the open and not in a closed session of the Council. That way we can address any allegations in a transparent and open setting," Leggett's memo stated.

Reached Thursday, before the memo was released, Dagley declined to provide details.

"The ability of the county's inspector general office to operate without interference is an important audit committee issue and I am confident that the council will address these issues in the coming months," Dagley said.

An attempt to reach him Friday was unsuccessful.

County spokesman Patrick K. Lacefield said Dagley's claims of interference should be made openly.

"We have no idea what he is talking about," Lacefield said. "We've cooperated fully with the inspector general on everything he has asked us for. Since he doesn't seem to want to offer up specifics it's hard to know what to respond to."

As a county councilman, Leggett had drafted the legislation that created the inspector general's office and is supportive of the office, Lacefield said.

"We'd love to hear specifics and if there are specifics he should speak on them and air them out. If he's got a problem we should hear it," Lacefield said. "That's the message we'll send to him."

The inspector general's office was created in 1997 by the county to stop instances of fraud, waste and abuse of authority.

Dagley declined to comment about Lacefield's call for specifics to be provided to the county executive's office.

"The audit committee is where it needs to be talked about," Dagley said.

"Clearly the council is his last resort," said Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, a member of the audit committee. "If this is becoming problematic for him that he's being retaliated against or under pressure from the executive branch, we need to know that."

Ervin said she is concerned by what she sees as a trend, from Dagley's concerns of interference to the county executive moving the ethics commission to under the county attorney's office.

"I see a pattern that is very troubling [to me]," Ervin said.

Ervin said a failed earlier effort by the county executive to move the inspector general's office under the county executive was part of the pattern, she said.

"One can only guess what precipitated that," Ervin said.

Councilwoman Nancy Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring said Dagley did not go into details about how he is being interfered with in public.

"We may need a closed session to understand this more clearly," Navarro said.

Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At large) of North Bethesda, chairwoman of the audit committee, said she did not know how the council would proceed.

"It's clear he's not happy with the working relationship or the lack of working relationship that he has or doesn't have with the executive branch," Trachtenberg said. "We need to have dialogue and not necessarily one behind closed doors."