State auditor candidate Thomas says office shouldn't be used as political steppingstone

Missouri needs a state auditor concerned about the office's work, not using the position as a platform for winning a higher office, Republican candidate Sandra Thomas said Wednesday.

In a meeting with the Southeast Missourian editorial board, Thomas ran down the list of her GOP opponents. As she named each of the leading party contenders, she noted that all are state lawmakers.

And the current auditor, Democrat Clair McCaskill, is making her second run for higher office in two years. "She has been very focused on her own political ambitions," Thomas said.

While McCaskill is focused on her own political future, Thomas said, the audits issued by her office haven't looked at questions that are important for taxpayers. For example, Thomas said, a June audit of the transfer of 11 state license offices from public operation to private contractor hands didn't address whether the state has realized any savings.

Instead, she said, the audit questioned the handling of the sale of $16,000 worth of state equipment.

The license offices, also known as fee offices, are political patronage plums handed out by the governor to supporters and important political figures in the areas where they operated. In recent months, news reports have indicated that the FBI is investigating the way Gov. Matt Blunt handled the distribution of those offices.

The Blunt administration has claimed that millions of dollars were saved when the state-operated license offices were converted to contract offices. In addition, the Blunt administration has touted its requirement that contractors provide business plans for operating the offices.

But asking whether the state actually saved money and criticizing McCaskill's audit doesn't mean she favors retaining the current license office system, Thomas said.

Other states use various systems for licensing drivers and cars. For example, in Kentucky auto registrations are handled at county clerk's offices.

The question of what could be done to make the licensing process more effficient is the kind of question the auditor should be asking, Thomas said. "I wouldn't rule that out, a performance audit to find out," she said.

Thomas is the only Republican candidate for auditor who is a certified public accountant. She has been auditor of Platte County for 12 years.

Thomas faces state Reps. Jack Jackson, R-Wildwood, and Mark Wright, R-Springfield, state Sen. John Loudon, R-Chesterfield, and 2002 auditor nominee Al Hanson in the Aug. 8 primary.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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