By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Republican State Auditor candidate Adam Thompson addressed the Executive Committee of the Shelby County Republican Party in Pelham on Tuesday night and ‘The Alabama Political Reporter’ was there to cover the event. Shelby County Republican Party Chairman Freddie Ard welcomed Thompson to Shelby County.
Thompson told the 60 Republicans, “It is a privilege to be here in the reddest county in the reddest state in America.” Thompson said that Auditor, “Is not an exciting office but it is a very important office.” Thompson said that current state auditor Samantha Shaw is term limited so she won’t be able to run again.
Thompson said that he was the deputy chief of staff for Secretary of State Beth Chapman and that he also worked for Chapman when both were in the state auditor’s office. “The deputy chief of staff does a little bit of everything.”
Thompson says that campaign reporting in 2014 it will be all electronic. The Secretary of State’s deputy chief of staff said it will be a “game changer.” Candidates won’t be able to hide details in bad handwriting. Thompson said that it photo id will be implemented in 2014 and that will be a very important change for improving Alabama elections.
Thompson said that the Alabama state auditors office has nothing to do with money. Instead it deals with the state’s physical assets. The state has over $2 billion in assets like cars, trucks, desks, filing cabinets, computers, etc. The auditor deals with anything the state owns. Every state agency is audited every two years. The auditor’s office has less than ten employees and has a budget that is less than $one million a year. “The auditor has to physically see every item every two years.”
The Auditor checks to see if those things that state agencies purchase are still there and checks to see if they wastefully are spending money on things they don’t really need. “Accountability is doing what you are supposed to do,” and keeping state government accountable and transparent to the public is what the state auditor is supposed to do.
Thompson said that one agency actually lost a $10,000 copy machine. “When an agency loses something money has to be spent to replace the lost items.” “The state auditor’s agency has a lot of paper work to do a very simple task” Thompson said that it should be easier to transfer equipment between state agencies. Right now five people have to sign to transfer a piece of equipment from one agency to another.
Thompson said that he would like to put the entire property database online too make state government more transparency and accountable to the public. “Government should be accountable and answerable to the taxpayers.” Thompson said that his parents taught him you don’t spend what you don’t have and you take care of what you have.
The state auditor gets to appoint some country registrars in the state. Thompson said that his appointees would be both qualified and conservative.
Thompson said that Senator Cam Ward’s (R) from Alabaster bill to consolidate all of the state’s vehicles it into one agency is a great idea and will makes it much easier for the state auditor to keep track of state vehicles rather than having each state agencies have their own vehicle fleet.
Thompson said that he is running in the Republican Primary in June 2014.
Thompson said that he serves on the state Republican Executive Committee and is also on the state executive board for the Alabama Young Republicans. “I have been a Republican my whole life.” Thompson invited the Shelby County Republicans to follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Chairman Freddie Ard thanked Thompson for speaking to their group.
