"She will make a

great State Auditor"

___________________

July 29, 2005

SCANDIA, MN - "Rebecca is dedicated and hardworking.  She will make a great State Auditor," said US Senator and former State Auditor Mark Dayton recently.  Otto, a former State Representative from May Township, near Forest Lake, Minnesota, is on the campaign trail as a DFL candidate for the office. We caught up with her after a recent speaking engagement in Scandia, Minnesota. 

A self-described consensus builder, Otto has been described has having "grit and grace" in her approach to getting the job done, and was a widely respected legislator in the House.  "Rebecca is a rare leader who doesn't just talk the talk; she lives it," said Representative Frank Hornstein of Minneapolis.  "I'm a huge fan."

Otto focused mainly on budget issues while in the legislature, quickly distinguishing herself as a critic of budget gimmicks and shifts.  She points to her work to get the legislature and the governor to include inflation in expense projections and not just revenue projections as one example of this budget hawkishness.  "We've gotten to a position in this state where we put politics ahead of good policy," said Otto.  "There is not a reasonable accountant in the state who would condone including inflation in our revenue forecasts but not in our expense projections, and if we want to build a sound budget instead of shortfalls year after year, we have to improve our accounting standards."

That combination of integrity and hawkishness, and of putting the interests of the state ahead of politics, is one reason why Otto accomplished the unprecedented feat in her last house race of earning the mutual endorsement of both former Republican Governor Arne Carlson and former Democrat Vice President Walter Mondale.  "She's a very, very good person," said Carlson in a recent interview about their rare collaboration in Mpls-St Paul magazine.

Otto says her focus on finance stems from her experience as an entrepreneur.    "We seem to have forgotten that the point of business isn't simply to make money - that's part of it but the real point of business is to make our lives better.  That's what a product is - something to make our lives better.  That's what a job is - something to make our lives better.  And that's what profit should be - something that allows us to further invest in making our lives better."  Otto says the same holds true in government.  "The only reason to have a government is to make our lives better.  And there's no better way to promote government's ability to do that than to make absolutely certain it is working as efficiently as possible and with the highest level of fairness and integrity.  And that's what the office of State Auditor is all about."