October 24, 2006  

                                                
Last three state auditors of both parties endorse Rebecca Otto for State Auditor
 

SAINT PAUL – In an unusual, perhaps unprecedented move, the last three state auditors, of both parties, have endorsed Rebecca Otto for the post.  Between them, they encompass twenty four years of experience in the job.  Judi Dutcher, Mark Dayton, and Arne Carlson all say they are backing Otto because of the partisanship of the current auditor, and Otto's non-partisan track record.

"We need to rebuild the reputation of the office and restore a non-partisan approach which is not guided by politics but by sound auditing principles," Dutcher said.  "Rebecca Otto has a non-partisan approach that is similar to mine."

Dutcher was elected twice to the post as a Republican, but is now the DFL-endorsed candidate for Lieutenant Governor. 

Carlson, who held the post for three terms from 1979 to 1991 before serving two terms as Governor, says he's switched his support from Republican Pat Anderson to Otto over concerns about how partisan Anderson has become.  A Republican himself, Carlson said Anderson's predecessors made a point of avoiding partisan behavior, and that it is important that the state auditor be independent-minded.

"I think that independence has been lost," Carlson said.  

"Rebecca Otto is dedicated and hard-working," said Dayton, who held the post after Carlson and before Dutcher.  "She will make a great state auditor."

If Otto wins on November 7, she will be the first woman Democrat to be elected to the job.

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