OPEN LETTER: VOTE NO ON MEASURE “W”

APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR-CONTROLLER BY BOARD OF SUPERVISOR

The voters are being asked AGAIN by our Board of Supervisors to change the selection for the Auditor-Controller’s position from an elected position to an appointed one.

 Why you should vote NO ON MEASURE “W”:

(1) The Auditor-Controller is an independent, non-partisan elected office.  By making this an appointed position takes away the voice of the people as well as eliminating an important check by the voters. The possibility of undue influence or the appearance thereof between the Board of Supervisors (BOS) and the appointed Auditor-Controller as well as the County Administrator (CAO) can’t be emphasized enough. The Auditor-Controller position acts as a check and balance on the spending that the various departments take part in. If the BOS hand-picks someone to fill that position, then they are controlling their own oversight.  Changing the position to an appointed one does not improve candidates.  If an elected position is not filled, then they will still need to appoint so what’s the use of changing this position. It’s a questionable short term solution that can be detrimental down the road. Control needs to remain with the people!

 Our own current Auditor-Controller supports the position remaining an elected one. Even the State Controller of California is an elected position.

(2)  Section 4 of this measure calls for the BOS to create “an independent financial oversight” position of the Auditor-Controller’s Office “by requiring an annual independent audit” thereby creating an additional layer of bureaucracy whereas there is already an outside independent audit done each year(#3a)

 The BOS do have remedies available to them regarding an elected auditor-controller position such as:

• (a) An independent audit done each year which the BOS reviews and accepts. Government Code Section 26883 provides that “if the report discloses fraud or gross negligence a copy shall be filed with the district attorney.”
• (b) The BOS can request a Grand Jury investigation if they feel there is fraud Or gross negligence.
• (c) Lastly is the recall option. 

Firing or getting rid of someone who has been appointed presents its own set of problems.  Evaluations if conducted by the BOS and the CAO could appear to be a conflict if the appointed individual feels they were fired unjustly; it opens the door for a possible lawsuit against the County.

Sheila Meamber
Montague, CA