Auditor Gets Caught, Under State Review

Sandy Newmann the Monroe County Auditor has been on the job just four months and already she is making the kind of mistakes that many expected from someone with little or no governmental administrative experience. Reportedly she made a purchase of $1,228 worth of office furniture on a budget that is set aside for consumable office supplies. She also ignored a standing directive of the County Council for a direct review of any fixed asset equipment purchases. The purchase is now under the review of the State Board of Accounts and could result in a recommendation that Mrs. Newmann repay the amount in question. Newmann reported that she had her Chief Deputy, Cathy Smith, check out the purchase with a field examiner from the State Board of Accounts prior to making the purchase however, with tight County budgets all purchases of equipment were to be cleared by the County Council, a step Newmann failed to take that would have prevented this mistake. Her response to this situation was; “It’s a learning curve for us and we need to make sure we don’t do it again”.

Other matters of concern at the Auditors office required action by the Commissioner’s recently to amend the County’s personnel policy to prohibit the hiring of relatives after Newmann hired her daughter Sondra Berg as a deputy auditor. Common sense would have prevented most people from making this mistake by wanting to avoid any impression of impropriety in hiring a close relative. To correct this situation Newmann should ask for her daughter’s resignation, what will be interesting to see if she possesses the ethical conscious that will guide her to take the necessary corrective action. Apparently the personnel situation in that office is very tense at the moment with two more people in that office seeking other jobs within other County offices. The obvious concern to citizens of Monroe County should be with all of the mistakes and disorganization in the Auditor’s office right now it brings in to question Newmann’s overall competence in running that office. Keep in mind that office essentially controls the checkbook of the County. Valid accurate information needs to flow from that department in order for the County Council to make proper decisions at budget time. With the County’s budget cut razor thin we can ill afford someone that makes too many mistakes and has too big of a learning curve.