In the April 25, 2018, issue of the Register-Guard, Eugene resident Lisa-Marie Divincent in a letter:
I respectfully invite Nicole Leseney to read Measure 20-283 again. Her April 24 letter (“Who audits the auditor?”) is either a disingenuous attempt to scare people or she’s sadly misinformed.
No professional auditor is going to live beyond commuting distance from a full-time job supervising staff and working with other departments. No one whose entire career depends on carefully following industry metrics and standards is going to jeopardize his or her reputation. The auditor is going to choose the most effective areas to audit and respond appropriately to the whistleblower hotline.
As for the assurance of a four-year job: If only Eugene’s city manager faced re-election every four years. Perhaps we would have a City Hall instead of a $7 million gravel pit.
Citizen oversight has been ineffective in reducing the huge tax breaks that the city manager and City Council have granted to vested interests for decades. That’s why we need a strong elected auditor position as protected by 20-283’s City Charter amendment.
Eugene is in grave need of an integrity upgrade. Our first elected auditor will be accountable to the voters — and to fellow auditing colleagues who will ensure our auditing office meets all professional and ethical standards.