The auditor of accounts is tasked with reviewing state programs to find waste and inefficiency and to hold government agencies accountable.
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What does the Auditor do?
The auditor is charged with being a watchdog of state government. The mission of the office is to "foster the prevention of waste, fraud and abuse."
The office is responsible for evaluating whether state agencies are fulfilling their missions, and overseeing financial audits that track where taxpayers' dollars are going.
The auditor doesn't make public policy, but he or she does make recommendations to lawmakers.
Who's running for auditor?
There are three candidates for auditor on Vermont's ballot in this general election:
Where are they on the issues?
All three spoke with VPR about their candidacies and their stances on various issues, including their thoughts on:
- Why they run, or how can they make a difference - Brown | Feliciano | Hoffer
- How the office could improve - Brown | Feliciano | Hoffer
- Being the state's nonpartisan watchdog - Brown | Feliciano | Hoffer
- Whether auditor should be elected - Brown | Feliciano | Hoffer
- Liberty Union Candidate
- Town of residence: East Charleston
- Retired IT professional, now runs a small farm
- Ran for lieutenant governor in 2014
On why she鈥檚 running for auditor
鈥淚 think that Vermont has a big problem with transparency. I was particularly disappointed with the Health Exchange and how it performed with its security issues. I did a Freedom of Information Act request about the security issues with the health exchange. They refused to release the results of its penetration tests for its securities, saying that was releasing HIPAA information. Computer organizations, if they have good security, always release their pen tests ... if they hide the results, that means something is wrong.鈥�
On how the work of the office could improve
鈥淲here I could gain access to information, I would use computer systems to make it accessible to Vermonters... [Doug Hoffer] has done a good job, but I would be much more aggressive in publishing information from agencies. I would be using information technology to publish that. I would set up websites that would publish information and make it accessible. Like, the courts of Vermont do not publish court information. Like, New York state, you can get criminal information, this is not so in Vermont. These are the kind of things that I would like to see as auditor.鈥�
On being a nonpartisan watchdog for state government
鈥淵ou鈥檙e hearing somebody who wants to open government, who wants to open the records for all. Are you hearing a Liberty Union platform? Not really. What you鈥檙e hearing is somebody who wants to open things and make things more fair.鈥�
On whether auditor should be an elected position
鈥淚 think the more that Vermonters can vote on things the better.鈥�
Want to hear more from Marina Brown?
- Republican candidate
- Town of residence: Essex Junction
- Efficiency and financial consultant
- Ran for governor in 2014 and 2010
On why he鈥檚 running for auditor
鈥淎fter I ran for governor, a handful of Republicans reached out to me and said my platform was interesting, especially my ideas about how to measure and monitor the state鈥檚 activities and results. And how I was able to look at the budget for the state, how we can look at the operational efficiency to ensure we鈥檙e providing the right services.鈥�
On how the work of the office could improve
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have operational insight into how the state is actually performing and how they鈥檙e using their resources. One of the things I鈥檓 talking about doing is introducing a very simple auditor鈥檚 scorecard that measures the financial performance. And understanding their customers. How do Vermonters feel about the performance?鈥�
On being a nonpartisan watchdog for state government
鈥淓verybody wants to understand that their tax dollars are being used appropriately. It鈥檚 not a partisan issue. Measuring everyone鈥檚 performance has nothing to do with passing policy ... and that鈥檚 the foundational thing of moving in the right direction and getting a grip on our costs.鈥�
On whether auditor should be an elected position
鈥淚 think in the future I could see an auditor being not necessarily an elected role, but a role that鈥檚 nonpartisan within the state, with a professional leader in there. Not a hack that got elected because he鈥檚 a nice guy, but someone with the serious quantitative skills. I don鈥檛 think it should be appointed at all ... because it can鈥檛 be a partisan role.鈥�
Want to hear more from Dan Feliciano?
- Democratic/Progressive candidate, incumbent
- Town of residence: Burlington
- Incumbent auditor of accounts, seeking third term in office
On how the role of auditor can make a difference
鈥淚鈥檝e come to appreciate the somewhat less sexy world of nuts and bolts and machinery. And that is to say, how an entity the size of state government, which is really big business, really goes about its business day in and day out. Some of those things are very prosaic. They鈥檙e not about highfalutin decisions policy makers make about higher education. It鈥檚 more about, 鈥榃ell, who gets a cell phone? How do we know we鈥檝e gotten the right people cell phones and gotten the right plans for them? How do we know we鈥檙e adhering to the guidelines on purchasing practices?鈥� Are you adhering to the rules? Taxpayers have a right to expect that.鈥�
On how the work of the office could improve
鈥淚 could probably do a better job communicating the work of the office. I tend not to be a good soundbite guy. Not that people of the state are looking for soundbite, but I tend to drone on into the weeds. That doesn鈥檛 always help the casual reader or listener.鈥�
On being a nonpartisan watchdog for state government
鈥淚 take it very seriously that the work is nonpartisan. I don鈥檛 work for the governor. I don鈥檛 work for the Legislature, although I obviously want to work with them. If the work is high quality and presented professionally and respectfully, that鈥檚 how you鈥檙e likely to get their attention and get them to implement your recommendations."
On whether auditor should be an elected position
鈥淭he alternative is for that position to be appointed, and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 a good idea. I鈥檓 not an accountant by trade, I was trained as a lawyer ... We鈥檝e had a number of auditors in the modern era, in the last 25 years, only one of whom was an auditor. I think in each case, we all brought something different to the office. It鈥檚 really a matter of judgment, and how you motivate and manage the staff that you have. You don鈥檛 have to be an accountant or an auditor to do that.鈥�
Want to hear more from Doug Hoffer?
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