Andrew Crockett’s Core Positions: HONESTY

Other organizations have independent audits, why not the Assessor?

Would you trust a college diploma printed on kleenex?

Would you trust a high school transcript that the student created for themself?

Would you trust an organization that never issued audited financial statements?

Would you trust an Annual Report whose figures were never independently confirmed?

Over the past three decades the Annual Report issued by the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office, printed at Taxpayer expense, has devolved into propaganda literature to aid in the incumbent’s reelection. As a CPA, I know the value of audits and transparency. Given the obvious conflict of interest, a higher standard of proof is demanded for its financial claims. As Assessor, I will guarantee that this document becomes a record of public accountability, containing relevant information verified by independent review external to Santa Clara County government.

For over 25 years the Assessor’s Office has operated with a veil of secrecy around its finances. The incumbent celebrates publicly how he has saved money by starving the Assessor’s Office of budgeted operating funds, returning money unspent. Yet he never issues independently audited financial statements to prove how decades of economic malnourishment have benefited the office. The numbers don’t add up: the only external oversight is offered through a countywide consolidated financial statement. In this statement, all accounts from across Santa Clara County are mixed together. This high-level accounting creates a prime opportunity for deception to flourish. We deserve better than this: we deserve annual financial statements from the Assessor’s Office, audited by independent auditors external to Santa Clara County government. This key office should be accountable to the public’s trust.

Does financial accountability matter to you? Then vote for me, Andrew Crockett, Certified Public Accountant, for Santa Clara County Assessor. As Assessor, I will ensure independently audited Financial Statements and retain external review services to certify the accuracy of the Annual Report of the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office.