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Auditor points to increased efficiency in office in bid for re-election
Otto says she has tried to be 'proactive' rather than the "gotcha" policy of waiting for local communities to make mistakes and punish them.
by Kevin Sweeney | Aug 30, 2010
NEW ULM -State Auditor Rebecca Otto, in a re-election race with the woman she ousted in 2006, stopped in New Ulm on Monday on a campaign swing to talk about what she has been doing in the past four years.
Otto, a DFLer, said she has brought a philosophy to the State Auditor's office that is different from that of Pat Anderson, her Republican challenger. Otto said she has tried to be a "proactive" auditor, one who helps cities, counties and school districts do things the right way rather than the "gotcha" policy of waiting for them to make mistakes and punish them.
Otto found local government officials mistrustful at first, but her outreach and education policies have drawn more cooperation from local officials, she said.
That doesn't mean the auditor's office doesn't investigate.
"Thanks to new processes and efficiencies I've built into the office, we have conducted nearly three times as many investigations as my predecessor did, with fewer people. There are people who have been sentenced to do time," Otto said.
Otto said she wants to focus local governments on excellence and efficiency, and help them find ways to save money in a time of state budget cutbacks.
One effort earned her a 2009 Excellence in Accountability Award from the National State Auditors Association. Otto's office helped local governments identify ways they could save money through greater energy efficiency, and helped them identify sources of funding to help them make the energy efficiency changes.
Otto said she has revamped the auditor office's web site to make it more useable and efficient for local officials. That means fewer phone calls to her staff who are able to make better use of their time. Her office provides webinars to local government units to help educate them on best practices. The office has even developed software for townships to help them with their financial reporting and record keeping.
Otto said she takes a non-partisan approach to her job and works to bring different groups together to make meaningful changes. The state's Volunteer Firefighters Relief Associations, for instance, were governed by laws that were confusing and in many cases outdated. Otto said she formed a group of firefighters from around the state to work on ways to overhaul the laws. Despite the diverse interests of the different groups, they have been able to draw up solid proposals that got quick passage in the Legislature and approval from the governor for three years.
A legislative initiative has set up another collaborative committee involving local government units, with Otto in charge. Otto said she works with city, county, township and school district officials from around the state to find ways to make government more efficient, from sharing services and resources to getting infrastructure where it is needed.
"We will be bringing a report to the Legislature with ways to help local governments save money. In light of the upcoming budget problems, this is very important," said Otto.
"That's one of the reasons I'd like to have another four years in office," she said. "There are a lot of good things going on that I'd like to help finish."