Ogre’s Politics and Views

State Auditor Leslie Merritt files for re-election
ZEBULON, N.C. – State Auditor Leslie Merritt officially filed for re-election at the N.C. State Board of Elections today. Merritt, who was first elected in 2004, is the first CPA to serve as North Carolina’s State Auditor. Prior to being elected he was a partner in a privately held accounting and auditing firm for over 20 years.

“We have accomplished a lot in just three short years, but there is still much work to be done,” says Merritt. “When I took office in early 2005, I discovered a huge backlog of unfinished investigative audits; many state-funded non-profits were not filing the required reports; there was no program in place to train state-funded non-profits on compliance requirements. The office had a lot of good, hard-working people; it just needed new leadership. I am pleased to report that we have made tremendous progress on these and many other fronts.”

A progress report detailing Auditor Merritt’s efforts in these areas can be found on his campaign Web site, www.auditormerritt.com. Some highlights from the Progress Report include:

· Reduced a backlog of investigative audits by 76%;
· Dramatically increased the number of state-funded non-profits filing the required reports;
· Launched a new initiative to train personnel from funding agencies and state-funded non-profits;
· Dramatically reduced the processing time for non-profit reports;
· Developed a new, innovative “strategic auditing” process to help identify unusual trends and potential problems in state spending; and
· Increased emphasis on performance audits.

“If elected to a second term, I will focus on several key priorities: leveraging our recently-launched Investigative Task Force to expose fraud, waste and abuse in state government; continuing to increase our emphasis on performance audits to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state government; and continuing our efforts to transform the Auditor’s office into a proactive agency that helps prevent problems rather than simply reporting them after the fact. We’ve made progress in these areas, but there is still much work to be done. I respectfully ask for the people’s support as we continue our efforts to reform the way state government does business.”

In January, Auditor Merritt announced that former Governors Jim Martin and Jim Holshouser, former U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth and former Lt. Governor Jim Gardner would serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of his re-election campaign.

Leslie W. (Les) Merritt, Jr. was elected State Auditor of North Carolina in 2004, becoming the first Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to hold the office. Prior to being elected he was a partner in a privately held accounting and auditing firm for over 20 years. Merritt’s experience as a small business owner taught him the importance of conserving and effectively utilizing resources. He was elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners in 1994. During his time as a County Commissioner Merritt developed a reputation as a voice of fiscal responsibility, fighting to set priorities and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of county government. Merritt is a former PTA president who served as president of his local Rotary and Lions clubs. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Zebulon and are members of Zebulon Baptist Church. They have two adult children. For more information about State Auditor Leslie Merritt, please visit www.auditormerritt.com.

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Tags: 2008 Elections, North Carolina Government //