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Many of these reports were in process before she took office. The entire shortfall in output begins in April. Since April 1st, 41 reports have been published to the website vs. 51 in the same prior year period. (Source: https://www.auditor.nc.gov/audits-reviews/search-reports?).
This is a decline of 20% over the past 4+ months.
History of scandal and politics
The last elected State Auditor, Beth Woods, was indicted and on November 9, 2023, she resigned. This incident cast a shadow over the Office of the State Auditor (OSA). The OSA is supposed to be “Unbiased. Impactful. Irrefutable.”
The OSA comprises over 120 professionals whose jobs include attestation, financial, and performance investigations. This work requires the highest ethical standards and independence in both fact and appearance.
After the resignation, the Governor appointed Jessica Holmes, who was sworn in on December 16, 2023. Ms. Holmes had run unsuccessfully to be North Carolina Commissioner of Labor in 2020. She is a lawyer with no degree or professional credentials in accounting or auditing. She has spent much of her time since graduating from law school in elected or appointed political positions.
Since her appointment, the number of reports issued by the OSA has declined at an accelerating rate.
Candidate reacts
Candidate for NC State Auditor Bob Drach looks at the problems at the OSA and reacts: "The recent decline in output from the office may reflect endemic issues and the inability of the incumbent to fix them. Last year's scandal cannot be good for morale, and a political appointee can’t be the solution. The office needs an experienced professional manager, and someone who is truly independent to restore credibility."
Drach points to his resume: "My public service work started as a Peace Corps volunteer and I've gone on to earn a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation, a master’s in business administration (MBA) degree from Stanford University, and I worked for over 4 years at professional audit and services firm Deloitte. And I am politically independent -- neither a democrat or a republican."
Speaking recently to members of the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, Bob told the group: "Independence is the single most important qualification for the State Auditor. Just like in your work, it is critical that the public know we have no favoritism, and we have the professional training to serve the public interests. It does not matter that you mean well or want to do a good job, you must also be unbiased and well trained."
In comments after a continuing professional education course in Wrightsville Beach, candidate Bob Drach laid out his view of the choice NC voters face this election: "Incredibly, I am the only accountant running for NC State Auditor!"
Learn more about Bob by visiting https://www.electdrach.org.
More about the other candidates here:
- https://ballotpedia.org/Jessica_Holmes
- https://ballotpedia.org/Dave_Boliek
Rob Yates
Libertarian Party of North Carolina (lpnc.org)
[email protected]
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