3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016
Secretary of state candidates disagree on scope of state audits
“I think the language is
broad enough to protect the
taxpayer all the way to the
end point of the money,” Ava-
SALEM — Oregon Sec- kian said.
retary of State candidate and
Avakian said if once
current labor commissioner elected there was disagree-
Brad Avakian says he believes ment on that interpretation,
the secretary has statutory he could “partner with the
authority to audit private com- Legislature to clarify what
panies when “red lags” have ‘financial affairs’ means.”
been raised in the execution of
Then there’s the statute
public contracts.
which sets up a
This and sev-
hotline so citizens
eral other of the
can report allega-
Democrat’s ambi-
tions of govern-
tions for the ofice
ment waste, abuse
have led to criti-
or fraud.
cism from his oppo-
Avakian said
nent, former guber-
that those statutes,
natorial candidate
“taken together”
and
Republican
with the state’s
state representative
constitution, which
Brad Avakian
Dennis Richardson.
defines the secre-
Avakian faced sim-
tary of state as the
ilar criticism from
auditor of public
members of his
accounts, justify
own party during
his aims.
the Democratic pri-
He also pointed
mary for the ofice
to the “About Us”
this spring.
section of the sec-
Critics
have
retary’s website,
characterized other
which
explains
aspects of Avaki-
the
secretary’s
an’s platform as
role, including as a
beyond the secre-
watchdog of public
Dennis
tary of state’s pur-
spending.
Richardson
view — for exam-
Avakian pointed
ple, his plans to
to the recent audit
promote renewable energy of the Department of Energy
and civics education.
Business Energy Tax Cred-
But Avakian countered its program as an example of
that he believes he’s squarely the types of audits he would
within legal authority to audit do in office.
private businesses, and fur-
The audit, released ear-
ther, he does not intend to lier this month, found evi-
audit every company that has dence of “suspicious behav-
a contract with the state. He ior” in several dozen energy
also says the other initiatives projects that received the tax
he wants to pursue fall within credits.
the scope of the ofice.
Avakian said that the
Avakian says Oregon stat- secretary of state’s audit
utes and the state’s consti- included interviews with
tution allow the secretary representatives from private
of state to audit companies companies that received the
doing business with the state tax credits.
when concerns have been
“… There’s numerous
raised about how the business places in there where the
is being done.
secretary refers to interviews
they were doing with people
Statutory power
in the private sector contract-
He cites the statute which ing with the public agency in
outlines the responsibilities order to get the information
of the secretary’s audits divi- they needed for the audit,”
sion. It states: “The secretary Avakian said. “That is very,
of state, as state auditor, shall very close to what I’m say-
have the accounts and inan- ing needs to be done.”
cial affairs of state depart-
ments, boards, commissions,
Limited authority
institutions and state-aided
In a response to questions
institutions and agencies from the EO Media Group/
of the state reviewed or Pamplin Media Group, Ava-
audited as the secretary of kian’s opponent, Richard-
state considers advisable or son, said that he interpreted
necessary.”
the statutes Avakian cited
Avakian said “inancial differently.
affairs” includes how contrac-
Richardson said the first
tors use money provided by statute only deals with the
the state.
establishment of a hotline.
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
ll
Ca ime
yt
n
A
Richardson also said that
the second statute limited
the secretary of state’s audit
power to “state departments,
boards, commissions, insti-
tutions and state-aided insti-
tutions and agencies.”
But Avakian said the sec-
retary of state, as public
auditor, has a duty to “fol-
low the money” to the end
point — how it was spent
and whether it was spent for
its intended use.
Avakian said that the pub-
lic bidding process is insuf-
ficient to vet how compa-
nies spent money they were
awarded.
“… There are numerous
examples where that process
falls short,” Avakian said.
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computer
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Microsoft is rolling out
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Are there crisis
Q: services offered
at CBH?
T im O ’Brien
Adult Outpatient
Jim
Supervisor
Crisis Counselor
CLATSOP
BEHAVIORAL
HEALTHCARE
“Helping People Live Well”
65 N. Hwy. 101
Suite 204
Warrenton
503-325-5722
CBH offers a 24/7 crisis line,
the number is 503-325-5724.
This service is designed for
people who are feeling suicidal or
homicidal (i.e. going to hurt
themselves or others). A CBH crisis
worker will meet the client at a local
Emergency Room to evaluate if the
client is safe to be released from the
hospital or if they need to be placed in
a higher level of care to keep them
safe. This should only be used in an
event of an emergency and not in
place of regular counseling services.
Call 503-325-5722 to inquire about
clinic and open access hours and the
referral process.
A :
Medicare
Q: What’s
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Help is a government
A: Extra
program for Medicare
Stefanie Cao
Medicare
Market Manager
www.careoregonadvantage.org
caused my
Q: What
blueberries to
shrivel up and drop
members who have a
limited income and resources.
If you qualify, the program
will help pay your Part D
(prescription drug) premiums,
copays and deductibles.
The 2016 income limits are
$17,820 a year for individuals
and $24,030 for married
couples. Extra help is worth
looking into if you think you
or a loved one may qualify.
Check with Social Security:
1-800-772-1213 (TTY 711) or
www.ssa.gov.
going out of
Q: I’m
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What are my
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off the plant?
YEAR ROUND POSTIONS
Hosts, Bussers, Servers
Line Cooks & Dishwashers
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Northwest Wild Products
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We scrape the bones of
the salmon and tuna to
make pet food. We have
dog patties, made with salmon or
tuna, organic vegetables and rice.
And cat patties without the rice.
The food is highly nutritious,
with no preservatives or illers.
Our animals go crazy for this
stuff. Because of the labor
costs, it is more expensive than
commercial pet food. However,
even feeding it to your pets a
few times a week will give them
greater health and happiness.
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What can I expect
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“In some cases those pub-
lic dollars are given to pri-
vate entities and agencies
are required to establish
standards for and enforce
appropriate use of those
funds,” Woon wrote in an
email. “The secretary of
state has the discretion to
apply her broad authority,
with the resources avail-
able and across the scope of
state government, to ensure
that all levels of government
meet auditing standards.
This certainly would include
ensuring that agencies are
enforcing Oregon law.”
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
Professional
Q:
In our office a dental
exam is an extremely
important encounter. For a new
patient this is the meet and greet,
rapport and relationship building
time, trust and confidence
decisions, and a time to ask and
answer all questions. Clinical
findings, photographs, and X-rays
can be reviewed, discussed and
shown on a TV monitor to
establish the best protocol and
steps to move forward. Hope this
helps.
CHIROPRACT I C
Over 20 years local experience
to comply with an audit,
though he thought that com-
panies would comply to
maintain a good relation-
ship with the state and that
a refusal could “tell a strong
story.” But he also said he
would not conclude that a
company engaged in wrong-
doing based on a refusal to
comply.
“The Secretary of State’s
Office is not about enforce-
ment, it’s about shining a
light,” Avakian said.
Molly Woon, spokes-
woman for Secretary of
State Jeanne Atkins, said “it
is the responsibility of the
secretary of state to track
and establish standards for
the use of public dollars.”
Consult
a
Fre
e
as
Est F
ima t t
es
Jeff Hale P ainting
“And when it falls short, the
question has to be asked,
who in state government is
in charge of protecting the
taxpayer? It isn’t the state
agency. That’s why we have
the audits division.”
Richardson disagreed.
“Oregon
businesses
should see the Secretary
of State’s Office as a place
where they can go for tech-
nical expertise to help grow
their business or for new
businesses to come to Ore-
gon,” Richardson wrote in
an email. “It should not be
(as Avakian envisions the
office) a place to investigate
and punish businesses.”
Avakian said that he
could not force a company
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It is likely you have a fungal
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best to pick or capture the infected fruit
before it drops to the ground. Sheets placed
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Applying a 2” mulch under the plants can
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Inspect your plants and fruit regularly and
be on the lookout for mummy berry. We
offer a protective fungicide called Sarenade
(apply in the spring) as well as mulches that
should be applied now.
T HE D AILY
A STORIAN
503-325-3211
www.dailyastorian.com
949 Exchange St.
Astoria, OR
503-325-3211
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your missed newspapers to local schools.
What ever option fits your needs, just call
our circulation department at 503-325-3211
and we will take care of it for you.