Cindy Byrd for Oklahoma State Auditor

The State Auditor's office has made great strides under the current incumbent, Gary Jones; if I could re-elect him to that office, I would, but he's term-limited. The next best thing is to elect his deputy, Cindy Byrd, to build on that solid foundation. Byrd, a CPA for 15 years and part of the auditor's office for 20 years, currently oversees county and local government audits, which make up the bulk of the audits performed (304 of a total of 411 last year). In that position, she cleared a five-year backlog of audits, and her work has led to the indictment and resignation of six elected officials and the uncovering of fraud and waste totalling over $10 million. Jones has endorsed Byrd, as has former Governor Frank Keating, along with many more elected officials and citizens across the state.

Byrd's primary opponents are John Uzzo, who ran as a Democrat for State Senate in 2016, and Charlie Prater, who is involved in a court battle over his default on a business loan and who has engaged in deceptive push-polling attacking Byrd. Pat McGuigan has written an analysis of the auditor's race that goes into some detail about all this.

As we work to direct our tax dollars to where they are most needed, the legislature should give the State Auditor's office an even greater role than it currently has to identify waste, duplication, and inefficiencies in government. More than ever, Oklahoma needs an experienced, aggressive State Auditor. Cindy Byrd is the best prepared to fill that position.