As part of its ongoing election coverage, the GRC blog will today highlight the race for PA Auditor General.  The Auditor General is responsible for auditing the state government to make sure that all money is spent legally and properly.  They oversee the spending of the various departments within the state government and also assess the efficiency of state programs and departments to make sure that tax dollars are being used to their greatest potential.  Among the entities that are audited by the state are corporations, hospitals, liquor stores, school districts, state agencies, the state universities (including Pitt), and other organizations that receive state funding or federal funding through the state.

Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-95^th District:

Representative Eugene DePasquale is a third-term Democratic state representative from York County who is now running for the position of auditor general.  He is a native of Pittsburgh and graduated from Central Catholic High School.  He received a B.A. in Political Science from the College of Wooster in Ohio, a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law.  After obtaining his master’s degree he spent a year working as the Director of Economic Development for the city of York, became Deputy Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection for three years, and ran for his current office in 2006.

He is currently a member of five house committees, including the Committee on Ethics, Consumer Affairs, Environmental Resources & Energy, the Judiciary, and State Government.  He is also a board member of the Community Bankers Association, Deputy Secretary of the Community Revitalization and Local Government Support, and member of the advisory boards for Habitat for Humanity and the Codorus Watershed Endowment.  He has received strong endorsements from environmental interest groups, but the NRA and the PA National Federation of Independent Business have given him a mixed report card.

DePasquale is running on the issues of accountability, the environment, education, and job creation.  He is unusual in that he was the first legislator to publish his legislative expenses on his website, and even managed to contain his expenses enough to leave a surplus of $36,000 dollars, which was returned to the state.  In his first term he created a $650 million alternative energy fund which has helped to create much of the wind power now generated across the state.  He now states that he wants to use the position of Auditor General to audit the Department of Environmental Protection and ensure that it is combatting the possibility of drinking water being contaminated by Marcellus Shale drilling.  He states that he will also audit all economic development programs to make sure that money allocated for job creation is not simply providing profit for large corporations.  He would also audit the education system to identify successful programs that can be implemented across the state.

PA House Profile: http://www.pahouse.com/Depasquale/

Campaign Website: http://www.eugene4pa.com/

PA Democrats Profile: http://www.padems.com/team/eugene-depasquale-auditor-general

Vote Smart Profile: http://votesmart.org/candidate/65036/eugene-depasquale#.UIqlesVG-So

PennLive Election Coverage: http://www.pennlive.com/elections/index.ssf/2012/10/election_2012_pennsylvania_auditor_general.html

Rep. John Maher, R-40^th District:

Representative John Maher is a 15-year state representative from the 40^th PA House District, which encompasses Bethel Park, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair in Allegheny County.  He is a graduate of Carlisle High School, graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in Management Sciences and Accounting, and did fellowship and scholarship studies at Oxford University of the Australian Graduate School of Management.  For nearly thirty years he worked as a Certified Public Accountant, launching his own CPA firm to perform audits for organizations and governments.  In 1997 he was elected during a special election to the PA House of Representatives, and has served there since.

He is the current chair of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee and a member of the Committee on Professional Licensure.  In terms of nonpolitical work, he is involved in a startling number of organizations.  He is a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Council of Boy Scouts of America; a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Pittsburgh and the Board of Overseers for the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; a frequent lecturer at Cambridge University’s International Symposium on International Crime; and a former guest instructor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School, former adjunct professor at the Community College of Allegheny County, and recipient of the Seven Seals Award from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for his work in support of the U.S.’s reserve forces.

Maher is running strongly on the issue of accountability and transparency, on streamlining government, and on job creation.  He promotes his record of laws to enforce transparency in government, including the Open Records Law to give free access to government records; the Lobbying Law to allow the public to see who is paying lobbyists, as well as restricting the privileges of lobbyists; and the Audit Integrity Act, which made falsifying materials given to an auditor a criminal act.  He promotes himself as the only candidate for Auditor General who has been an actual auditor, and promises to bring his strong track record and experience to play if elected.

Professional Website: http://www.repmaher.com/

Campaign Website: http://cpaforpa.com/

PA GOP profile: http://www.pagop.org/resources/candidates/john-maher-for-auditor-general/

PennLive Race Profile: http://www.pennlive.com/elections/index.ssf/2012/10/election_2012_pennsylvania_auditor_general.html

Vote Smart Profile: http://votesmart.org/candidate/23920/john-maher

Betsy Summers, Libertarian Candidate for Auditor General

Betsy Summers is this year’s Libertarian candidate for the position of Auditor General.  She is a native of New York, attended Centenary College in New Jersey for Equine Science, and afterward moved to Shickshinny and later Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania.  She is a current sales representative for a veterinary supply company and an independent broker for an internet-based brokerage company.  Other résumé highlights include owning a web hosting site and acting as a landlord.  She is a former candidate for both state and U.S. Senate, former commissioner on the Luzerne County Home Rule Study Commission, current chair of the Libertarian Party of Luzerne County, and a current Judge of Elections.

Summers is running on a campaign of small government.  She promises to work with tax organizations to stabilize school funding and eliminate school property taxes, eliminate pensions for elected officials and advocate term limits, and fight all tax increases.

Campaign website: http://www.betsysummers.com/

Smart Voter profile: http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/pa/state/vote/summers_b/

Vote Smart profile: http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/47207/betsy-summers#.UJQbO8VG-So