In the April 14, 2018, issue of the Register-Guard, Eugene resident Krista Rojas writes in a letter:
The R-G editorial got it half right (“Auditor measures: No on both,” April 8). The city’s counter-measure, 20-287 for a council-appointed auditor, was offered in bad faith and undercuts the democratic process. Moreover, The R-G recognized that even if it were the only measure on the ballot, it would not have the independence to do the job and would merely provide a false sense of security.
Measure 20-283, for a citizen-elected auditor, is a well-considered, comprehensive measure meant to address the cracks in the foundation of our city government — not against carpenter ants, but against waste, fraud, cronyism and various poor choices that have misspent taxpayers dollars and weakened our ability to solve serious issues.
The faults claimed by The R-G editorial are actually the strengths of 20-283. Much has been made about the cost, but in fact, surveys of similar auditor positions demonstrate that for every dollar spent, $3 to $5 are saved.
A fully staffed and functional independent auditor’s office is necessary to insure that scarce resources are spent economically, efficiently, equitably and effectively.
Please vote yes on 20-283 for an independent elected auditor. And vote no on 20-287, the council-appointed auditor.