Iowa voters will be choosing a new state auditor to succeed Democrat Rob Sand, who’s running for governor. Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer (kuh-NOY-yer), a Republican from LeClaire, says if she’s elected state auditor she’ll use her background as a technology consultant and acquire updated technology that will speed up the auditing process.
Taylor Wettach (WET-ICK), a Democrat from Muscatine who’s an attorney, says his work reviewing complex legal documents from corporations has prepared him for the role.
Wettach says a 2023 law Cournoyer voted for when she was a state senator makes it harder for the state auditor’s office to investigate allegations of wrong-doing in state government. The law prevents the state auditor’s office from going to court to obtain some government records.
Wettach says the law should be repealed. Cournoyer says the law set up important guardrails and created an arbitration panel with the governor, the state auditor and the state agency involved deciding what records may be released for an audit or investigation.
Both candidates support a law that would require prison time for any employee or official convicted of stealing 10-thousand dollars or more from an Iowa government. The candidates for state auditor made their comments on the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa P-B-S.
