This just came across the wire:
ORANGE COUNTY NEEDS A WATCHDOG AS AUDITOR-CONTROLLER
Why the Orange County Taxpayers Association Endorses Eric Woolery
By Carolyn Cavecche, CEO and President, Orange County Taxpayers Association
Election after election, “wanna-be” politicians have targeted specific elected offices at the County of Orange as their opportunity for an entrance into political life. Although these offices seem to be low profile and of little importance to many voters, they are actually positions of great importance with significant responsibilities. Sometimes, the unqualified manage to get elected, sometimes resulting in bad governance. Remember the county’s bankruptcy? Recently, the OC Board of Supervisors took the unusual step of consolidating one of these offices, the County Public Administrator, with the District Attorney’s office. This measure was taken to recover the high level of integrity such an important position should preserve, which was ignored by an unqualified elected official. The elected position of Orange County Auditor-Controller is one of those offices of great importance to the taxpayers, as it oversees all of our taxpayer monies at the County of Orange.
The Orange County Taxpayers Association has endorsed Eric Woolery in the Orange County Auditor-Controller’s race because he has the right set of skills and expertise to best serve as the watchdog over Orange County’s taxpayer funds. He is a CPA, a former small business owner, a former county school board member, and currently serves as Orange Treasurer. He understands the importance of vigilance and has a track record that demonstrates that he knows how to monitor how the county spends precious taxpayer resources in order to find and fight fraud and waste. He is a professional who is actually qualified for the position of Auditor-Controller.
As a taxpayer watchdog, Woolery will prepare both elected decision makers and the public to make the policy decisions that will protect Orange County taxpayers. Eric Woolery has created priorities based on his knowledge, and his proactive budgeting approach will not only get Orange County through these next few years, but will also protect us for years to come. His priorities include:
Exposing and fighting Sacramento’s raids on our local coffers. This year, he reclaimed $18 million for his county department.
Enhancing county productivity and performance through new processes and accountabilities. Through the recession, he cut costs in his agency by 25% while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Helping solve the current pension crisis while implementing safeguards to guarantee future sustainability.
Every year, the Auditor-Controller’s office issues the “OC Citizens Report.” Eric Woolery’s version of this report will include an analysis of the fiscal strengths and challenges for the county and its $5.4 billion budget. On day one, he plans to dig into fiscal matters and immediately start answering the following questions and finding solutions to them; if elected, next year’s report will include solutions to the biggest issues facing Orange County:
What is our pension liability? How does Orange County’s liability compare to other counties?
What policies has the Auditor-Controller offered to the Board of Supervisors as solutions?
How stable are the county’s revenue sources?
Is the state planning to raid our coffers again, and if so, what will the impact be? Can we prepare?
Are there plans afoot to find new sources of revenue without raising taxes?
Does the Auditor-Controller have plans to streamline, consolidate, or cut costs to improve efficiencies?
Please join the Orange County Taxpayers Association in voting for Eric Woolery and his proactive leadership to improve our quality of life and keep Orange County one of the most sought after regions to live.
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