The debate over elected vs. appointed auditors continues

In the April 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

The debate over elected vs. appointed auditors continues, and adding to the discussion last week was a nationally recognized expert on city auditors who spoke at Harris Hall. Gary Blackmer, retired director of audits for the state of Oregon and the city of Portland, laid out his strong support for the elected auditor Ballot Measure 20-283. He was critical of the competing city-sponsored measure to create an appointed auditor, saying the “auditor-lite” proposal has little authority to investigate, no secure whistleblower hotline, and is underfunded — not likely to attract the best candidates. “You get what you pay for,” he says. However, the biggest problem with the appointed auditor, Blackmer says, is a lack of independence. An appointed auditor would be under the oversight of a council-appointed citizen committee that has “built-in conflicts of interest.” Such a power structure violates auditing standards and best practices, he says.

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