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Vermont State Auditor

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Vermont Auditor of Accounts
Incumbent
Doug Hoffer
since January 10, 2013
ResidenceVermont
Term lengthTwo years (no term limits)
Formation1790
First holderElisha Clark
DeputyTim Ashe (Since 2021)
Salary$116,730 (As of 2021)
Websiteauditor.vermont.gov

The auditor of accounts of Vermont, informally referred to as "the state auditor", is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. Twenty-nine individuals have occupied the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Douglas R. Hoffer, a Democrat/Progressive. He was first elected to office in 2012.

Election and term of office

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The auditor of accounts is one of six constitutional officers in Vermont, elected statewide every two years. Until 1870, Vermont elected its state auditor for one-year terms.[1] Likewise, prior to an 1883 constitutional amendment, the state auditor was chosen by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly, as was the secretary of state.[1] Since then, these two officials have been elected statewide on a direct popular vote, alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, and attorney general.[1]

In the event of a vacancy, the governor is empowered to appoint a successor.[2] Vermont statutes require the governor to solicit recommendations from the political party of the individual who held the office prior to the vacancy, but the governor is empowered to appoint any qualified individual whether or not he or she was recommended.[2]

Powers and duties

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The mission of the Office of the Auditor of Accounts is to hold state government accountable by evaluating whether taxpayer funds are being used effectively and identifying strategies to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. To this end, the state auditor conducts discretionary performance audits in accordance with Government Auditing Standards promulgated by the comptroller general of the United States, the head of the Government Accountability Office and the United States' supreme audit institution. These audits provide an independent and objective assessment of the program performance, internal controls, and legal compliance of Vermont's governmental operations.[3]

Other responsibilities have been conferred on the Auditor's Office by law. For example, the state auditor contracts with private accounting firms to audit the financial statements of the state of Vermont as presented in its annual comprehensive financial report and to perform the statewide single audit of federal programs administered by state agencies and their subrecipients.[4] Likewise, the state auditor investigates allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse of public resources reported to the Auditor's Office.[5]

Notable former Vermont auditors

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List of Vermont auditors

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# Auditor Picture Term Party
1 Elisha Clark 1790–1797 No party affiliation
2 Seth Storrs 1797–1801 No party affiliation
3 Benjamin Emmons Jr. 1801–1807 No party affiliation
4 Alex Hutchinson 1807–1813 Democratic-Republican
5 Job Lyman 1813–1815 No party affiliation
Alex Hutchinson 1815–1817 Democratic-Republican
7 Willis Hall Jr. 1817–1819 No party affiliation
8 Norman Williams 1819–1823 Democratic-Republican
9 David Pierce 1823–1829 Democratic-Republican
1829-1835 National Republican
1835-1839 Anti-Masonic
1839-1845 Whig
10 Silas H. Hodges 1845–1850 Whig
11 Frederick E. Woodbridge 1850–1853 Whig
12 William M. Pingry 1853–1855 Free Soil
1855-1860 Republican
13 Jeptha Bradley 1860–1864 Republican
14 Dugald Stewart 1864–1870 National Union
1867-1870 Republican
15 Whitman G. Ferrin 1870–1877 Republican
16 Jedd P. Ladd 1877–1879 Republican
17 E. Henry Powell 1879–1892 Republican
18 Franklin D. Hale 1892–1898 Republican
19 Orion M. Barber 1898–1902 Republican
20 Horace F. Graham 1902–1917 Republican
21 Benjamin Gates 1917–1941 Republican
22 David V. Anderson 1941–1965 Republican
23 Jay H. Gordon 1965–1969 Democratic
24 Robert T. King 1969–1970 Republican
25 Alexander V. Acebo 1970–1993 Republican
26 Edward S. Flanagan 1993–2001 Democratic
27 Elizabeth M. Ready 2001–2005 Democratic
28 Randy Brock 2005–2007 Republican
29 Thomas M. Salmon 2007-2009 Democratic
2009–2013 Republican[16]
29 Doug Hoffer 2013–present Democratic/Progressive[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Hill, William C. (2011). The Vermont State Constitution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-19-977902-4 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "Title 17: Elections, Chapter 53: Vacancies, § 2623. Vacancies in offices within this State". The Vermont Statutes Online. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Office of the Vermont Auditor of Accounts. "About the State Auditor's Office". State of Vermont. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  4. ^ Office of the Vermont Auditor of Accounts. "About the State Auditor's Office". State of Vermont. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Office of the Vermont Auditor of Accounts. "Report Waste, Fraud, and Abuse". State of Vermont. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Journal of the Patent Office Society, published by U.S. Patent Office Society, Volume 2, Number 1 (September, 1919), page 67
  7. ^ "WOODBRIDGE, Frederick Enoch, (1818 - 1888)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  8. ^ "Rep. Frederick Woodbridge". Govtrack.us. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  9. ^ Jeffrey, William H. (1904). Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties. East Burke, VT: Historical Publishing Company. pp. 86–88 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Mohr, Wm. F., ed. (1914). Who's Who In New York City and State (Sixth ed.). New York, NY: Who's Who In New York City and State, Inc. p. 316 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Death Notices: Supplement to General Alumni Catalog of Officers and Students, 1837–1921, September, 1940–September, 1941. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan. 1942. p. 10 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Barber, Orion Metcalf - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  13. ^ "Biography, Horace French Graham". NGA.org. National Governors Association. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Swan, Wallace, ed. (2004). Handbook of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Administration and Policy. Marcel Dekker. p. 100.
  15. ^ "1996 - Explore a Year in LGBT History". Pride & Progress. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  16. ^ Elected as a Democrat in 2006 and 2008, switched to the Republican Party in 2009 and was re-elected in 2010
  17. ^ Was a member of Progressive Party, but also received and accepted nomination of Democratic Party afterward
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