Pat Posts
Columbian: Re-Elect McCarthy
According to The Columbian editorial board opinion released today (09-25-20), McCarthy is best candidate for state auditor and should be re-elected in order "to continue her admirable oversight of state agencies and local governments."
The board sites her commitment for transparency and accessibility as a key reason for their support. They highlight her efforts to make information available to the citizens of Washington and allow for greater accountability of government to the people by detailing several tools "to better inform the public" about audits and "track where money comes from and how it is spent."
Find the full editorial at The Columbian.
Everett Herald: Watchdog
Another regional newspaper, the Everett Herald (09-18-20), has endorsed Pat for her re-election effort this year. The editorial board called the Auditor's Office under Pat a "now able watchdog" after she worked to restore "morale and overseen efforts that provide greater access to audit findings."
The paper acknowledged the wide-variety of governments that the Auditor's Office examines at all levels in our state -- "from local dike districts on up to the governor's office" -- in order to ensure they are held accountable and meeting performance standards.
They especially highlighted Pat's work to increase special investigations into reports of fraud and whistle-blower complaints. They detailed several audits in their opinion piece.
One investigation found "the Department of Ecology was missing quarterly reports regarding the spending of $300,000 for cleanup work of arsenic and other heavy metals. Another discovered $6.9 million missing at the Pierce County Housing Agency and the culprit was "charged this spring with four counts of wire fraud."
They declared that Pat has also "overseen the increased visibility and accessibility of the office's work through the auditor's website, adding new tools...that allows the public to easily find audits and reports." For those reasons, they endorsed Pat for another four year term.
Go to the full editorial here.
Seattle Times Endorses Pat
Seattle Times Endorses Pat McCarthy - 07-05-20 | Pat obtained the Seattle Times endorsement and was described as "the clear choice to be reelected this fall." The board urged the "veteran government leader" with "deep experience" to "fully reinvigorate the office" responsible for "powerful good-governance."
The editorial describes how Pat pushed for better inspections and audit of local governments and state agencies. They praised her ability to resolve this long standing problem of "keeping public books consistently inspected." The result of her efforts can be seen in the many fraud cases discovered by the Auditor staff.
The Times highlighted just one case when a "King County drainage commissioner allegedly siphoned more than $400,000 in public money between 2012 and 2019," and explained how she pushed the legislature for reforms to eliminate this type of abuse in the future.
The editorial can be found here.
Radio Interview
Pat Talks with KXRO Radio (listen) - 05/29/20 | Pat had the opportunity to be interviewed on KXRO Radio in Grays Harbor to talk about issues related to the State Auditor's Office and the campaign. Hear it here.
AWB Luncheon
The Association of Washington Business (02/28/19) held their monthly luncheon, and Pat attended as the main speaker and shared her record of accomplishment and provided the group with an update on the progress being made on audits for over 2,200 local governments and state agencies.
More can be found at the AWB website at olympia-business-watch.