Evansville Courier Press: Newcomer faces GOP incumbent in Indiana auditor race

Newcomer faces GOP incumbent in Indiana auditor race

Fiscal transparency on minds of both

CLAIRE MOORMAN CAPITOL BUREAU / (317) 631-7405moormanc@courierpress.com

Sunday, October 10, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS — As Indiana copes with a recession that has gutted tax revenues and forced spending cuts, both parties' candidates for state auditor say fiscal transparency is on their minds.
Republican incumbent Tim Berry served for eight years as the state treasurer before his dissatisfaction with the state's financial system led him to run for auditor.
The state needed a more integrated system, he said, to ensure internal control of finances and to give taxpayers an idea of where their money was going.
After failed efforts to push state lawmakers to enact transparency legislation, Berry's office decided to create a fiscal transparency website for Indiana's taxpayers on its own.
"Transparency is vital. It provides greater accountability, because it's not really the state's money, it's taxpayer money," Berry said. "A year ago, we started the single largest software implementation in Indiana government history."
That website, which launched in August, is transparency.in.gov.
Berry said the site successfully integrates all units of state government, providing detailed information about the revenue and budget, as well as listing the salaries of all state employees, updated weekly and in a searchable format.
Democratic challenger Sam Locke has his doubts about the website. Though he admits that the idea was a good one, he is less impressed with the implementation.
"The data was all already there on other sites. What's missing is information about expenditures," said Locke.
Locke said that if elected, he would work to improve the site, adding state spending information he says will be beneficial for small businesses and individual taxpayers.
"We want Hoosiers to be able to see exactly where their money is going, whether the state spends $10 on office supplies or millions building I-69."
Berry maintains that the website is an aid to citizens and a work in progress, with more information already lined up to be added in the next quarter.
"Some of this information was never available. Some of it was available through public information requests," Berry said. "You really had to know where to search and know where it was in state government. It has helped taxpayers maneuver through state government in a one-stop portal."
While Berry has held a state office for 12 years, Locke is a newcomer. Locke said he became interested in politics at a young age — his grandmother was a local government official — and he is now making his first run for public office at age 28.
"I think it's an office that is often overlooked but can have a big impact on people's lives," Locke said of his decision to run for auditor. "In today's economic climate, with folks worried about the economy, that role gives the auditor a chance to save millions of tax dollars."
Locke hopes to impact the state budget by keeping watch for overlapping costs and implementing accounts payable recovery audits, a computer-auditing process which Locke said could save the state about $10 million.
Though he lacks public experience, Locke's fresh face and perspective have resonated with voters, he said.
"Folks are ready for a change, they're looking for fresh ideas and people who are willing to bring new ideas to offices that have been out of the public eye, like the auditor."
On the other hand, Berry is confident that his record of efficiency, state retirement plan reform and transparency will convince voters that he is still the best man for the job.
"As I said in my inauguration speech, as state auditors we won't often make headlines, but we will continue to listen," he said. "I'm going to pledge to the voters that I will continue to do what I've always done: be a fiscal conservative."