Holy Toledo, We’re Speechless in Cincinnati: The (Switch)Blade’s Incoherent State Auditor Endorsement

Watch the Blade do a complete 180 on appropriate State Auditor qualifications in the space of three paragraphs in its endorsement of Barbara Sykes for Auditor:

(on Mary Taylor, who is a CPA)

But the job does not require a CPA; the position is largely administrative. The auditor of state does not personally conduct audits.

What the job does require is a person who understands the importance of employing well-trained financial auditors and insists they do their work aggressively, something we are convinced did not occur on Ms. Montgomery’s watch with regard to Coingate.

(on Barbara Sykes)

Barbara Sykes, like Ms. Taylor, is also a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, but unlike Ms. Taylor, she has actually been an auditor in government.

So according to the Toledo (Switch)Blade:

• Taylor won’t be doing audits herself, so her CPA experience and credentials are irrelevant, as, apparently is her experience as “Director of the firm’s tax department and a senior manager of the Employee Benefits practice” at the Akron-based CPA firm where she still does limited work.
• Sykes has been a “government auditor” (and as I understand it, despite the position description, has done no hands-on auditing; e-mail me with the proof if you can show me I’m wrong). But Ms. Sykes’ “audit experience” (assuming it even exists, as appears doubtful) means she’s qualified.

We’re speechless in Cincinnati on this one, folks.

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- Oct. 25 — Why Would an Auditor Want to Audit?