Auditor candidates want you to see what state spends

Auditor candidates want you to 

see what state spends

Written by: Mary Beth Schneider, Indianapolis Star

No matter which candidate wins the race for state auditor, one thing seems clear: Hoosiers can expect to see more information about state government online.

Incumbent Tim Berry, the Republican seeking re-election, earlier this year unveiled a website,www.transparency.in.gov, on which people can look up state contracts, state employee salaries, budgets and other financial information for local and state governments.

Now he and his two challengers -- Democrat Sam Locke and Libertarian Eric Knipe -- all say they want to put even more information online so Hoosiers can know how their tax dollars are being spent.

Locke, a 28-year-old former Air Force officer who works at the Presbyterian Church's national headquarters in Louisville, Ky., said Berry "deserves some credit" for the website, "but it doesn't go nearly far enough. In many ways, it is just repacked old news."

Locke said he wants to upgrade it so that Hoosiers "almost in real time can see where their tax dollars are going. Every single transaction should be online for folks to publicly be able to critique and question it."

Berry, 49, who spent two terms as state treasurer before winning election as auditor in 2006, said that in the coming weeks, he will be unveiling improvements to the website so people can see all state expenditures.

"We really need to take it to the next step," Berry said, adding that he hopes to include not only state spending, but also university and local government spending, either as part of the state's website or through separate sites.

And, he said, he wants the General Assembly to pass legislation making online searches of expenditures a permanent tool for Hoosiers.

Knipe, a 30-year-old self-employed real estate broker and consultant, said he is running in part to help Libertarians gain more visibility and so voters have a choice beyond Republicans and Democrats. But, he added, government transparency is his top issue. People, he said, should be able to "see every single payment made."

Berry also is touting his fiscal stewardship, noting that the office has reduced spending to 2003 levels to help the state cope in tough times. Locke said more could be done, including "a more robust accounts payable and contract recovery audit."

By ferreting out overpayments and cost overlaps, he said, the state could save an estimated $10 million a year.

That may not be much when the state's budget is about $27 billion over two years, he acknowledged, "but $10 million can go a long way to help in this economic climate."