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Mosiman credits CPA experience as better fit for state auditor [Ames Tribune, Iowa]
[October 25, 2014]

Mosiman credits CPA experience as better fit for state auditor [Ames Tribune, Iowa]


(Ames Tribune (IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 25--While a licensed certified public accountant background is not required, Republican state auditor Mary Mosiman said the experience makes for a better candidacy in the upcoming election for the state auditor's office.



Mosiman, a licensed CPA who was appointed as state auditor in May 2013, is being challenged by Democrat Jon Neiderbach, whose campaign is calling for a more aggressive auditing process to detect theft or fraud earlier.

Mosiman previously served as a deputy in the Secretary of State's office for two years, and also served as the Story County auditor for 10 years. Mosiman was appointed state auditor by Gov. Terry Branstad in 2013, filling the position after the resignation of former state auditor David Vaudt.


She described the role of the auditor's office as providing audits for state government, including the state's three public universities and the Iowa Board of Regents, and overseeing audits of local governments. The office also occasionally performs reports of recommendations and performance audits to help achieve efficiencies in some offices.

Mosiman said the process of performing an investigative audit does not begin until her office receives a tip of potential fraud from management or "individuals connected to the organization" during the annual auditing process.

"If they let us know that they do have concerns about something, we will extend our scope," she said. "If management is the one that tells us they have concerns, if an employee tells us they have concerns, we go off into a separate investigative role at that point in time." Neiderbach said waiting for whistleblowers to step forward is what's wrong with the current office's practice. He said whistleblowers, particularly in smaller cities, may take a long time to come forward because of the risk of potentially losing their job and hurting their family.

"(Mosiman) waits for somebody else to turn in or to find wrongdoing as opposed to having a periodic audit designed to do it," Neiderbach said. "It's very bad practice to say we're not going to look for problems in the regular audits, we're just going to wait for a whistleblower." Mosiman also said that while a candidate for state auditor is not required to be a CPA, the office could lose its credential as a licensed CPA firm should someone without a license be elected.

"That's a definition within the Iowa Administrative Code, which would impact the ability of the state auditor's office to provide these annual financial statement audits, which has been the primary role of the state office for over 30 years," Mosiman said.

Neiderbach called the issue frustrating and "a totally bogus discussion." He noted that while Mosiman has previously complimented the Yellow Book, provided by the U.S. Government Accountability Office as a manual for auditors across the country, the Comptroller General is not a licensed CPA.

"It's just so fascinating to me that she's so happy to rely on the Yellow Book that's put out by the Government Accountability Office but that office, heavily respected by all government auditors ... the head of that office is not a CPA," he said. "You want somebody with the right vision at the top, who can figure out what expertise and what technical skills to hire." Should she be elected, Mosiman said she hopes to implement a few new practices in the office, including reaching out to management and elected officials to not just report on the fraud, but "help reduce and hopefully prevent fraud." "If we get in front of these individuals, we can point out some simple procedures to help provide that very necessary oversight and internal controls when you're dealing with public funds," she said.

She also hopes to provide more information in the office's state budget reports to include an analysis of all funds, which she said would benefit taxpayers because "anyone talking about services to Iowans would have the same information." "Whether you're talking to your elected representatives or senators, or whether you're talking to state auditors, you're getting the same information." ___ (c)2014 the Ames Tribune, Iowa Visit the Ames Tribune, Iowa at www.amestrib.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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