Dear Editor,
We all can play a significant role in electing a woman as Vermont state auditor for the first time in a long time. Interesting? You bet. For many reasons.
Linda Joy Sullivan of Bennington County is that woman. She is a certified public accountant, with an MBA and a master of laws in taxation. Her accomplishments and professional experience as a public auditor, entrepreneur, advocate, and legislator give her exceptionally relevant experience and the true competence to be Vermont state auditor.
You may ask: “Why is Linda Joy Sullivan running?”
Her two terms as representative from the Bennington-Rutland district showed her that we need to be vigilant to protect our citizens and our state’s resources from fraud, waste, and abuse. Sullivan believes we need to determine the real value of government programs and safeguard the substantial investment that we make in our government when we pay our taxes.
For Sullivan, the office of state auditor is NOT about Democrat vs. Republican vs. Progressive vs. Whatever. She believes the office must be independent and fact-based to protect our interests.
You may ask: “What does she offer that the other candidate doesn’t?”
Linda Joy Sullivan is a true auditor, licensed in Vermont, New York, and Florida. She has audited complex organizations across the country and run her own business. By contrast, the current state auditor’s background is as a public policy analyst. In his own words, “I’m not the guy who does the work, I’m the guy who decides what jobs we undertake.”
He is not a CPA or a true auditor.
True auditors and CPAs must be independent, objective, and look only at the facts of a situation and not be driven by political preference or ideology. True auditors are trained and experienced in doing the audits and managing a staff of professional auditors. True auditors are hands-on involved with the work.
Let me end where I started: We have a tremendous opportunity to achieve good goals with our votes: elect a woman as Vermont state auditor and, by electing Linda Joy Sullivan as state auditor, we send a true auditor to that office. Please vote for Linda Joy Sullivan in the primary and in the general election.
Michael A. Keane, North Bennington
