Comments about ‘Longtime state auditor Auston Johnson facing primary challenge from Rep. John Dougall’

No comments yet, and 52% don't know who they're voting for at this point. What an exciting race. I'm voting for Johnson....btw

I voted for Johnson, Dougal was the chief sponsor of the much hated HB477. That alone is enough to kick him to the curb.

It makes no sense to have an engineer like John Dougall run the auditor's office. This is analogous to saying a construction contractor is qualified to run a surgical unit at a hospital on the basis he helped build the hospital and rendered first aid to some of his workers. A person with a motorcycle license is not qualified to drive a semi-truck. A person who changed his own toilet is not qualified to be head of a plumbers union. Dougall has no qualifications to run the State Auditor's office. Would an auditor in the State Auditor's office have confidence in discussing audit issues with someone who is not qualified? Auston Johnson is a CPA and can sign audit opinions. Dougall cannot. Dougall knows little or nothing about Auditing Standards, little or nothing about Government Accounting Standards, little or nothing of Federal regulations that govern grants to state agencies, little or nothing of training local municipalities. As a CPA, a former internal auditor, and government accountant, I endorse Auston Johnson, CPA. He is qualified to make sure the State does not lose its AAA bond rating. Dougall is not.

Johnson is the only qualified candidate for the job, he has a excellent reputation and has kept politics out of the State auditors office, which is a must. Dougall is a blow hard, his past actions as a legislator show he can't be trusted. The fact that he has backing only from the legislation leaders spells big trouble for our state and its finances if he were to be elected. Dougall cannot even sign financial audits if he is elected because he is not a CPA, thats a huge embarrassment when your States official is not even qualified to sign a document. That puts our states AAA bond rating at risk and could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars. If Dougall and his legislator cronies are allowed to make policy, how can they then objectively do an audit and be independent????? I am voting for Johnson, hopefully all Utahns will do the same.

John Dougall's the better man for the job, and I'm voting for him. He's more than qualified for the post. His number one qualification is that he looks out for taxpayers interests and will not allow the auditors office to publish "studies" that are clearly aimed at helping special interest groups at the expense of taxpayers. A clear example of this was the letter sent to house speaker Martin Stephens from then auditor Wayne Welsh in August 28, 2001, the result of a so called "study" of the vehicle safety inspection program by the auditors office. This study was clearly slanted and biased to favor the safety inspection industry at the expense of taxpayers, and it took another 10 years before Dougall uncovered the truth about how unnecessary these inspections really are and was partially successful at ending them, saving every motorist thousands of dollars of unnecessary expense over their lifetime. This letter is a masterpiece of "spin" and anyone can read it on the auditors website. John Dougall is honest and will stop the auditors office from producing disingenuous studies and put the taxpayer first. John Dougall is the man!

Y19guy, you don't have your facts straight. Wayne Welsh was never the State Auditor, but rather the Legislative Auditor General ( you know, the branch that is under the control of the legislature, of which Dougall is a part?) I don't believe that anyone, save John Dougall, has ever accused Auston of slanting audits to benefit himself, and even Dougall's accusations are unfounded. I have looked at both candidates' records and firmly believe that Auston is far more qualified, and I support him. Utah will be much better served under his competent leadership.

How does the State Auditor provide "leadership" to all the CPA's in the State Auditor's Office? By being an expert in the field and providing technical oversight to the people who work for him/her!! As a CPA, I know that, despite Dougall's claims, an electrical engineer simply cannot do a CPA's job! I also know that in private industry, managing partners of CPA firms are always experienced CPA's!! For those who are undecided, review Auston Johnson's accomplishments, which are impressive! He is a true professional, not a politician who's simply using the State Auditor position for his own political gain! Auston has proven his independence by questioning practices by all branches of government - just take a look at all the reports on his website. He's promoted government transparency and the conservative use of taxpayer funds, in contrast to Dougall's sponsorship of HB477. It's a no-brainer . . . vote Auston Johnson for State Auditor!!!

Many state auditors have NOT been CPAs. The job requires someone with sense and experience running investigation. Dougal, from what I've investigated, is an MBA, and ran the auditing of the Utah legislature. That's the right kind of experience.

Saying you must have a CPA to run a company or a auditor's department for the state is like saying it takes an engineer to run an engineering company. In fact, the best leaders of companies are NOT experts at the technical work of a company, but leaders.

So judge Dougal on his leadership and votes he's taken but don't fall in the E-Myth trap.

I do like what I've heard when Dougal has spoken -- vision, dynamic, competent.

I like Johnson, but 18 years is enough to dull the senses of a watch dog. And when he spoke he was content with what is going on. I'm not. We need better oversight.

RockOn - I assume you're referring to other states which have not had CPA's as State Auditors? Utah has, as far as I know, always had a higher standard than that! It's part of what makes Utah one of the best-managed states in the nation!

How has Dougall "run the auditing of the legislature?" You said you investigated . . . what's your source? No single legislator "runs" the auditing. Doesn't make sense!

Also, your statement that the best leaders of companies are not experts just doesn't make sense, either. The best leaders have excellent leadership qualities AND are experts in their field. Auston Johnson fits both those criteria.

Auston Johnson SHOULD be content with what's going on - Utah has a AAA bond rating, is one of the best managed states in the nation, his office is first among state auditors across the country in both efficiency and quality. Are you really not content with any of these? Do you really want to take a chance on someone who hasn't proven himself in this capacity? Rhetoric doesn't get the audits done!!

So Wayne Welsh is the Legislative Auditor General, and Auston Johnson is the State Auditor, so what. Both Welsh and Johnson are CPA's. If Wayne Welsh, as a CPA, can produce disingenuous reports, then that calls into question the reliability of CPA's. The real question is leadership, and Dougall wins hands down. What he did in the legislature regarding the safety inspection program, shows he'd not afraid to take on special interests on behalf of the taxpayers. I'd like a man like that in any position in government. As others have pointed out, he's not required to have a CPA as the state auditor, and an MSEE gives him more math, computer skills, and ability to solve problems than a CPA, and he has an MBA to boot. As state auditor he will be an administrator, not a bean counter, so that's where the MBA will trump the CPA.

OK, let me get this straight. Dougall says that his MSEE and MBA qualify him to be the State Auditor, but that Johnson's accounting degree and CPA certification don't? Given that the State Auditor's primary function per the Utah Constitution is to be the financial auditor of public accounts, I think it's pretty safe to say that the CPA will ALWAYS trump the MBA.

y19guy - what a ridiculous, uneducated comment! Has anybody in your profession ever done anything wrong? Then you must have done it, too, according to your argument. I question all your "facts" pertaining to this report.

You clearly don't understand the role of the State Auditor. The State Auditor doesn't take-on special interests and doesn't make policy - he performs financial, performance, and fraud audits. The Auditor must understand, interpret, apply, or ensure compliance with complex accounting principles and auditing standards. You really need to educate yourself on the technicalities of accounting and auditing. Also, read the Utah Constitution and Utah Law - it doesn't say the State Auditor is an "administrator" - it says he is "the financial auditor of public accounts." Why should the taxpayers pay the salary of someone who can't participate in the core function of the office?

Yes, other states don't have CPA's for their state auditor, but other states aren't the best managed state in the nation, either. We expect more from our leaders! Vote Auston Johnson for State Auditor!

y19guy, why are you trying to confuse people? If you don't like that Welsh guy, save your arguments for when he's running for State Auditor. So ridiculous. As for Dougall, I can only imagine what "electronically monitoring state employees...on an ongoing basis" would cost Utah. But of course he has to show he can come up with a different solution, even if it would be total overkill. I've noticed that Dougall doesn’t have original ideas...he crusades on current events he plucks from the headlines. And despite pooh-poohing the necessity of a CPA, he has had to consult with other CPAs to help him form a coherent message (e.g. Sen. Niederhauser and his "algorithms"). Did you know that Dougall voted against only 7 of the 100+ bills that Lockhart sponsored (sponsored, floor sponsored, cosponsored) from 2007 to 2012? Check her history of bills on the Legislative website. I'm sure that has nothing to do with her contributions to his campaign, and I'm sure we can count on him to "stand up" to her. Yeah right. Incidentally, first elected: Lockhart, 1998; Waddoups, 1986; Valentine, 1988.

And another thing...it's just a couple days away to the primary, and I've yet to see reporters ask basic questions about Dougall's relevant work experience outside of his part-time legislative work. I mean, the AG candidates have had to detail their litigation experience and list who they've worked for, but that hasn't been required of Dougall. So far as I can tell, he has been the CEO and only employee of his company for the past decade, and before that is a question mark. When has he ever managed an office the size and scope of the State Auditor's? It's not likely that he could just walk into the job with no relevant experience, barely knowing anything about the job, and do it better than it has ever been done before. Consulting for a large company is not remotely the same thing as running the company yourself, even if you have a degree in electrical engineering. Are voters just supposed to expect that the management theory he learned in his MBA classes years ago will see him through? Hope he didn't sell back those textbooks!

I endorse John Dougall to be the new Utah State Auditor, as I can't think of anyone better I would trust with $13 Billion dollars, that would make sure the audits are complete and understandable to everyone.

He has been Vice Chair of the House Executive Appropriations Committee, responsible to help with coordinating not only between all appropriations committees, but with the Senate. I have watched him repeatedly work to protect the money required at the hands of taxpayers to fund State operations.

The State Auditor is an administrative position. While I don't agree all the time with Governor Herbert, he has done well, despite not having degrees or certifications to match all of the areas he administers.

The Utah Constitution sets the requirements for Utah State Auditor, and there is no requirement for a CPA. John Dougall has an engineering degree and a MBA. He is a master with numbers.

Your endorsement is meaningless Utah_1. (Rep. Fred Cox) Your comment is the same one from all the articles I read on the Auditor's Race.

There is no way to refute the experience that Auston Johnson has. He is dedicated to the State of Utah and to his office. It has been sad to watch Dougall and his supporters falsify and degrade a good mans image. Auston has always fought for the people and looked out for their interests. He owes favors to no one, nor does he skew reports. He has my vote and the many other people who I have spoken to about this race. We don't need more politics and that IS what John Dougall will do.

To those of you who don't fully understand what an Auditor does, do your research and not by going to John Dougall's website. It is full of misleading information and half-truths. Always visit reliable and credible sources when doing research.

Utah1 (fred)
Nice cut and paste job again, can't think of anything else to say ? Here are some ideas in regards to your four major points.

1. I can think of a lot of people I would trust more than Dougall, I will start with Auston Johnson.

2 Dougall is Vice Chair of the House Executive Appropriations Committee, however Lyle Hillyard ,the chairman of the same committee has endorsed Auston Johnson,that speaks volumes of he thinks of Dougalls ability to lead and be an effectve Auditor.

3 The State Auditor is an administrative position, Auston Johnson has daily led and counseled the 30+ CPA's, so our state has enjoyed a AAA bond rating and received national recognition. Dougall list his job as "consultant",he has no administrative experience.

4.Johnson is a CPA. Dougall is an electric engineer. State Audit reports require a signature from a CPA. Dougall is not even qualified to sign these reports.