FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Paul Tencher, Coordinated Campaign Manager
Salmon Accepts Improper Campaign Cash, Misses Major Conflicts of Interest
Republican State Auditor Tom Salmon accepted donations from a bidder on office contracts and a County Sheriff he audits
BURLINGTON – The Vermont Democratic Party today called on Republican State Auditor Tom Salmon to return two improper political campaign contributions, including one from a county sheriff whom Salmon audits. The Democratic Party also criticized Salmon for accepting a contribution from a partner in a firm that does work for the State Auditor.
“Everyone but Tom Salmon knows that the Vermont State Auditor should never take a penny from the people he audits,” said Paul Tencher, coordinated campaign manager for the Vermont Democratic Party. “It’s clear that the Republican State Auditor still does not understand the concept of conflict of interest. The amount of money involved for Tom Salmon in accepting these donations may not be that large, but the principle is. By accepting money from people you audit, such as a Sheriff, or the people bidding on your contracts, you create the perception that perhaps you’re acting on behalf of a private interest rather than the public interest.”
Tencher said Salmon used poor judgment in accepting a $250 contribution last month from John McSoley, who heads the accounting firm of McSoley McCoy & Company of South Burlington. “Mr. McSoley leads a firm that does business with the Auditor’s office and in the past has won the bid to conduct audits of the Vermont County Sheriffs’ departments,” Tencher said. “It’s clearly a conflict of interest for Auditor Salmon to accept this contribution and at the same time properly monitor the quality and timeliness of the company’s work.”
Tencher said Salmon made a similar mistake in the last election cycle when he accepted a $200 contribution from Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux of Hyde Park, a Republican candidate for re-election, and president of the Vermont Sheriffs’ Association. Under state law (24 VSA §290b and 32 VSA §163) the Auditor prescribes the accounting system and financial procedures for the 14 County Sheriff Departments, has authority to audit individual Sheriffs at any time and must supervise the financial statement audits of each of Vermont’s 14 county sheriffs.
“These contributions should have been rejected immediately by the Auditor, who must maintain a high standard of conduct as the chief accountability officer of the state,” said Tencher. “Salmon should return the contributions immediately and should also inform staff, bidders and contractors that such contributions are improper and not welcome.”
Tencher noted that just after Salmon took office, the Rutland Herald (Feb 7, 2007) pointed out “a worrisome blind spot on Salmon’s part about the nature of conflict of interest” after Salmon appointed an accounting software vendor to an advisory committee on municipal finance.
“Voters should understand that Tom Salmon has not learned the meaning of conflict of interest after four years in office,” Tencher said.
