State auditor: Ray, Pickering the best choices

The Clarion-Ledger, 7/26/7

State auditor is typically not a statewide elected position that galvanizes public interest, until recent years, that is.

Since Ray Mabus turned the post he held from 1984 to 1988 into a stepping stone to the Governor’s Mansion (1988-92), officeholders have taken the position seriously as a possible route to higher office. That includes current State Auditor Phil Bryant, who is running for lieutenant governor. But the role of auditor is serious in and of itself, charged with auditing public accounts to ensure accountability and investigating to ensure against abuse.