Job description: The principal role of the auditor general is to determine whether state funds are being used in accordance with the purpose and guidelines that govern each use of the commonwealth’s dollars. The auditor general conducts financial and performance audits of individuals, state agencies and organizations that receive state funds, including school districts, state liquor stores and public employee pensions. These audits are designed to measure how effectively government programs are using public money to meet their stated goals and objectives. The office performs more than 6,000 audits each year, and is responsible for auditing all federal funds that are allocated to state programs.
Term: Four years
Salary: $152,443
(Vote for one)
Question: If elected, what do you believe to be your most important priority in this office and how will you pursue it?
REPUBLICAN
John Maher
(Upper St. Clair, Allegheny County)
Date of birth: Nov. 4, 1958
Education: Duke University, A.B., magna cum laude; Oxford University, scholarship studies; Australian Graduate School of Management, fellowship studies
Occupation: CPA/legislator
Qualifications: Three decades of real world experience as a CPA and business builder. Legislator known for fiscal conservatism, fighting waste and improving government accountability including open records and lobbying reforms.
Answer to question: Pennsylvanians deserve to have an auditor general who actually knows how to audit. I am a CPA expert in government accounting and auditing. I have co-authored a textbook about government accounting and taught government auditing to audiences drawn from Pennsylvania and across the world. As the accountant for accountability, I’ve passed laws to increase sunlight — opening government records to the public and forcing lobbyist disclosures. As auditor general, I will find and fight waste.
DEMOCRAT
Eugene DePasquale
(West Manchester, York County)
Date of birth: Aug. 3, 1971
Education: 1993, College of Wooster, B.A. 1997, master of public administration, University of Pittsburgh; 2002, J.D. from Widener University School of Law
Occupation: Pennsylvania state representative, 95th District (York)
Qualifications: State representative, 2007-present; deputy secretary, state Department of Environmental Protection (2003-06); director of economic development, city of York (2002-03)
Answer to question: I will order a performance audit of water protection programs to ensure our drinking water is safe. I will also work for middle-class Pennsylvanians, protecting education, job-creation programs and public safety. I will order audits that identify any wasteful and inefficient spending to save taxpayer money and enable reinvestment in critical programs.
LIBERTARIAN
Betsy Summers
(Wilkes Barre, Luzerne County)
(No response received)