To the Editor:
As a career CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner, and an auditor with over fifteen years of experience, I can personally testify that auditing and financial reporting are some of the most complex and important functions within any business or government entity.
This is why there is only one candidate for County Auditor that any reasonable and logical person can vote for in the 2020 election. In fact, this is the easiest decision anyone should have to make on the ballot. And that vote is for the David Michael for County Auditor because David Michael is the only CPA in the race and the only person running who has actually performed audit procedures.
To become a CPA in the State of Illinois, one has to essentially have a Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting, which includes graduate level courses in Auditing, Forensic Accounting, and Financial Reporting. Furthermore, one must pass the four-part CPA exam which includes a three-hour examination that assesses the candidate's understanding of auditing and fraud detection. This is why in the auditing field only CPAs manage audits. This is not something someone can just wake up and decide to become one day. It takes years of study, preparation, and experience.
On top of that, financial reporting standards and auditing procedures are extremely complex, just as complex as the internal revenue code that we use for tax purposes. If the County Auditor isn’t a CPA, how are they supposed to know how to perform an audit? How are they supposed to know what audit assertions to test? How are they supposed to know how to test internal controls for systemic weaknesses? How are they supposed to evaluate work being performed by their employees? The answer is, they cannot.
Therefore, the only candidate we should support for County Auditor is David Michael since he is the only candidate with the education, certification, and experience to protect our tax dollars and prevent fraud and waste.
Jeremy Plank, CFE, CPA, Wood River