Rhode Island inspector general finalist withdraws after landing Washington job

Gov. Dan McKee now has to choose between two finalists to become Rhode Island’s first inspector general after a third candidate accepted another job on the West Coast.

Stuart Robinson, one of three finalists recommended to McKee in September, withdrew from consideration Oct. 15, after being confirmed as first inspector general for King County, Washington. The county announced his appointment to a five-year term on Oct. 6

Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee’s office, confirmed the withdrawal in an email to Rhode Island Current and provided a copy of Robinson’s accompanying message.

“As expected, I was just confirmed as the inspector general for King County Washington, and therefore I will be removing my name for consideration as the Rhode Island inspector general,” Robinson wrote.

The two remaining finalists are David Harper, who has served as inspector general for the U.S. Capitol Police since February 2024, and Jim Kirdar, assistant inspector general for investigations for the Capitol Police since April 2025.

The commission recommended all three finalists to McKee, with the caveat that the governor should not make a final selection until the candidates completed background checks by the Rhode Island State Police.

Lt. Col. Erik Yanyar, a State Police spokesperson, told Rhode Island Current the background checks are expected to be completed by the end of November. 

Robinson was director of investigations for the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General since November 2017. His resume notes he led more than 50 completed and publicly reported investigations involving a county with a $9.6 billion budget and 39 municipalities, including cases involving multimillion-dollar vendor overcharges and more than 36 grant and assistance fraud matters.

Robinson was one of five candidates interviewed Sept. 24 at the State House by the Inspector General Independent Advisory Commission, a five-member panel tasked with conducting a nationwide search for Rhode Island’s first inspector general, an office created to root out waste and improve government efficiency.

The inspector general may serve for five years and be eligible for reappointment for one term of the same duration. The annual salary range for the position is between $175,000 and $225,000.