Reprinted from

Friday, January 19, 2007

Otto wants to educate, not just enforce

By ANDREW WALLMEYER
 

STILLWATER - As state auditor, Rebecca Otto knows it's her job to find and fix any mistakes in the way Minnesota's local governments handle some $20 billion in taxpayer money, but if given the choice, she'd much rather prevent them from erring in the first place.

New to the position, the May Township resident said she's hoping to strengthen the educational role of an office better known as an enforcer.

"You have varying degrees of knowledge at the different levels of government, and sometimes in the smaller units they just don't have the resources, or the tools, or the training, and they make honest mistakes," she said. "There are always going to be a few bad apples in any profession - we all know that - but the vast majority of folks who serve in local government want to do a good job, want to serve their communities, and really don't want their name in the headlines (because of mismanagement).

"They want to avoid the pitfalls, and we're going to try to do a better job of helping them do that," she said.

As an example, Otto said she would like to see the state auditor's office be more proactive about helping the state's roughly 4,300 local government units understand and comply with future changes in accounting standards. That means more workshops for local officials, more outreach and better communication ahead of planned changes.

"It's a more cost-effective and efficient form of government when you can get out on the front end, so that's what we're working on," she said.

As auditor, Otto will have little ability to advocate for particular legislative positions, since her office's primary role in statewide policy discussions is as an information source. The well-known Democrat and former state representative said she hopes to improve the office's reputation as a politically neutral source of information for Minnesota lawmakers.

"This office isn't here to put out a report that carries out a party's agenda, it's here to put out meaningful analysis of the numbers without the partisan spin, so that legislators can truly make informed decisions," she said. "I want to make sure that anything our office puts out - I don't care what party you're in - that you say, 'The auditor's office put this out, so it's got to be credible.' That's what we're working towards."

Otto, who lives near in Marine on St. Croix with her husband Shawn, said her new position won't have any direct impact on the St. Croix Valley, though she said she'll continue to encourage people she meets to visit the region.

"I have to treat all local governments the same, but I can certainly toot the horn of our area and try to keep it in people's eye," she said.

At the same time, Otto, who has run for office in each of the last four years, said she herself has no interest in returning to the public spotlight any time soon to seek higher political office.

"The state auditor carries a four-year term, and I'm thrilled to have four years. If it were two years, it'd be different, but in four years you can actually get a lot of really good work done," she said. "I'm sitting in the auditor's office right now, and I'm very happy to be here."