Accusations by both sides heat up state auditor campaign

Missouri's Democratic candidate for state auditor, Buchanan County Auditor Susan Montee, says her campaign was reluctant to make an election issue out of reported discrepancies in her opponent's job performance, but calls to her campaign office forced her hand on the issue. In August an independent audit found that Montee's Republican opponent Sandra Thomas' office was responsible for a $195,000 accounting discrepancy in Platte County, where Thomas is currently auditor.

Both candidates are certified public accountants in first-class counties.

The discovery set off a political jousting match as Thomas and Montee hurled accusations back and forth. Montee said the discrepancy casts doubt on Thomas' ability to perform the job of state auditor, while Thomas blamed the discrepancy on the county treasurer and an outside auditing firm.

"I was hoping that the race would take the high road," Montee said Thursday while visiting media outlets in Southeast Missouri. "We have always just talked about qualifications and experience. We didn't make any statements and representations about what was going on in Platte County until after the independent audits were released.

"I certainly wouldn't have jumped to any conclusions ... our press release on that was prompted by getting phone calls. We felt like we needed to have an official statement."

Attacks by Thomas' campaign on Montee followed, including a failure to file an annual report to the Secretary of State's office for her husband's law firm in 2004 and a failure to file a property tax assessment by the deadline last year.

Montee admitted to both lapses in her interview Thursday, saying she wanted to be open. However, she said she regrets the issues have become a part of the race.

"If in order to run for political office you have to be under a microscope like that, that turning in your property tax declaration late would make you unable to run for office, it's really a bad day," Montee said.

But Montee said Thursday that she'd rather be elected based on her qualifications, and her commitment to carry on the job in the spirit of current auditor Claire McCaskill, who's running for the U.S. Senate this year.

Like McCaskill, Montee also has legal training. She said that training will assist her in continuing the performance audits -- which examine the efficiency of organizations instead of money matters -- McCaskill has made a high priority in her time as auditor.

"I think that everyone would agree that these are a good thing, for the citizens of Missouri to have efficiency audits being conducted," Montee said.