Jennifer Leeland asks Cheryl Dillingham…

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What is your commitment to rooting out the corruption?

Ms. Dillingham,

Your opponent ran on a platform to fight the corruption and economic oversights at the county level.  I agreed with the concept, but not the practice so far.  What will you do differently to get the county’s work done and bills paid while also being a protective steward of taxpayer’s money? Do you have a plan?

— Jennifer Leeland

Response

Cheryl Dillingham

Protecting the taxpayers’ money depends upon getting the work done on time. Every day that a report or audit is late allows any fraud or errors to continue to go undetected and unreported, denying the public of money that’s rightfully theirs and putting the County at risk of losing critical state and federal funding. Fiscal responsibility requires having strong internal controls in place to prevent fraud or errors from occurring in the first place and to immediately flag any inconsistencies. Those internal controls are critical, but they still depend upon timely reporting to identify any errors that get through. The core function of the Auditor-Controller’s office is to have clear processes in place to catch any discrepancies as early as possible, to provide timely reporting and audits to reconcile and correct any errors, and to constantly work to strengthen internal controls. This reciprocal process of constant internal improvement requires consistent direction and training for staff. It also requires good communication with other departments to help them improve their own internal processes. In my twelve years in the Auditor-Controller’s office, including three years as Interim AC and Deputy AC, I worked tirelessly to protect taxpayers’ money by enforcing clear policies to ensure deadlines were met, reports were accurate and bills were paid on time. As your elected Auditor-Controller, I will provide steady leadership to develop a culture of fiscal responsibility, timely performance and accurate reporting to protect the taxpayers’ money to ensure that the County can continue to provide important services to the community.