Campaign statement from Sam Locke, Democrat candidate for Indiana State Auditor:
Locke continues innovation discussion; wants more transparency
Sam Locke, Democratic Candidate for State Auditor, announced two weeks ago that he would unveil four major innovations planned for the office should he be elected by Hoosier voters on November 2nd. Locke began by proposing more elaborate payable and contract audits and discussing ways the Auditor can play a bigger role in curbing waste. He continues this week by calling for more transparency within the State’s finances. Locke said, “Hoosiers should know exactly how and where their money is being spent, because it is their money-not the State’s.”
There has been a lot of discussion regarding transparency recently surrounding the State’s unveiling of a new “one-stop” transparency portal. Locke said of the portal, “I don’t want to be a politician who attacks for the sake of attacking – the idea is right and should be commended. In grading its implementation, the score goes down considerably.” Locke added, “Transparency is about more than just dollars and cents – the portal must go further in providing raw data and independent analysis as to where Indiana is choosing to spend its money.”
Specifically, Locke will implement or advocate for the following improvements to the transparency portal and additional fiscal transparency measures:
- Expand the transparency portal to include search-able expenditure information down to extreme details. If a taxpayer wants to see how much was spent in January for road salt from minority-owned businesses in Indiana, they should be able to do so without any hassle. This is a level of service already considered standard in most localities. Periodic summaries by various categories should also be included.
- Expanding the transparency portal to include travel vouchers and state vehicle mileage logs for elected officials and agency directors.
- Lobby for reform of the State’s audit trail. The Auditor’s books, meant to be a check on the Governor, should be audited by an independent accounting firm, not the gubernatorial-appointed State Board of Accounts.
- Produce more frequent financial statements than required by the General Assembly
- Developing partnerships with the Secretary of State to proactively provide financial information to Indiana businesses seeking to do business with the State as a mechanism for keeping more Hoosier dollars in Indiana.
Locke concluded, “Additional transparency and the others innovative ideas we bring to the table will move the Auditor’s office forward as a true watchdog for Hoosier taxpayers.”
For my information on Locke’s campaign, please visit www.lockeforauditor.com.