Improving the accountability & transparency of city government
In the May 3, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Ken Rosemarin writes in a letter:
In the voter’s pamphlet, City Councilors Pryor and Syrett state that the supporters of the independent auditor believe “the city manager, city staff, elected mayor and elected city council are all so bad that only a separately elected” auditor can fix things. BINGO! …
In the May 3, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Ethen Perkins writes in a letter:
Opponents of the citizen initiative for an elected auditor, 20-283, have criticized its budget, salary and broad scope. A competitive salary, budget and scope are more likely to achieve savings and efficiencies in city operations, and raise city standards for relationships and obligations. …
In the May 3, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Ron Bevirt writes in a letter:
City officials and their allies who oppose BM 20-283 for an independent elected auditor claim it is “overpriced and overreaching.” They’re just trying to scare you into voting against your own best interests. In reality, it is the city that is “overpriced and overreaching.” …
In the May 3, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Scott Bartlett writes in a letter:
When will they ever listen? Is proper City Council staff oversight and accountability too much to expect?
Measure 20-283, for an elected city auditor, offers Eugeneans our loudest message to City Hall. Oops … Well, we used to have a city hall, before it was replaced by an empty, crushed concrete pit, fanning city offices throughout town at $1.3-million taxpayer-funded rents per year. …
In the May 3, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
The newly arrived Eugene Voters’ Pamphlet is overwhelming, and it’s hard to imagine anyone plowing through all the arguments regarding elected vs. appointed auditors. One of the persistent arguments we see against the elected auditor Measure 20-283 is that it’s too expensive and the cost would fund five police or firefighter positions. Well, auditors consistently pay for themselves by finding efficiencies. An auditor might suggest that a dozen city positions could be eliminated by better managing shifts, overtime, turnover and training. Or an auditor might find that hiring more people in some departments could eliminate expensive contracted services. But to be effective, auditing offices must be adequately funded and independent from the city services being audited.
In the May 3 the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
Ballot Measure 20-283
Amends Charter: Establishes office, duties of independent elected city auditor
Yes
Ballot Measure 20-287
Amends Charter: establishes council-appointed performance auditor, audit review board
No
In the April 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Bob Cassidy writes in a letter:
The president of the League of Women Voters claims that the city already has an auditor. And that is true. But that is a financial auditor. And it is required of a city to have one. The numbers balance, and money is spent legally. …
In the April 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Steve Mital writes in a letter:
The campaign for a city auditor stems from a perceived need for more robust checks and balances in our city government. Perhaps the most powerful tool for forcing accountability is independent, thorough and thoughtful local investigative reporting. …
In the April 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
What if Eugene ends up with two auditors? Proponents of the city-backed “auditor-lite” Measure 20-287 say that couldn’t happen because the city charter gives victory to the measure getting more votes when “two conflicting measures” are both approved at the same election. But where’s the conflict? The two ballot measures to be voted on next month propose completely different auditors, one elected and the other appointed, with different staffs and different budgets. Eugene’s new motto could be “The World’s Most-Audited City of the Arts and Outdoors.”
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.