Cabinet post sparks auditor argument

Democratic Salt Lake County auditor candidate Peter Stevens criticized interim Republican auditor Sean Thomas (appointed after the resignation of Craig Sorensen) for agreeing to be a member of acting mayor Alan Dayton's Cabinet.

"I'm outraged," Stevens said. "The most precious intangible that the auditor has is independence. By becoming part of the Cabinet his independence is gone."

In response, Thomas said, "Clearly my opponent doesn't understand the role of this office in county government. We welcome the opportunity to sit there and advise the Cabinet. . . . There has been a vacuum of communication between the auditor and the mayor's office."

Thomas noted that a representative of the District Attorney's Office also sits on the mayor's Cabinet — the same district attorney who has charged Workman with felony misuse of public money. He said his office would exercise the same degree of independence.