Published: January 28, 2007 10:09 pm      

Pickering plans run for state auditor

MERIDIAN — State Sen. Stacey Pickering, R-Laurel, plans to make his formal announcement tonight that he is a candidate for Mississippi State Auditor.

The announcement will be made at 5:30 p.m. at the Laurel Hotel and Conference Center.

The native Jones Countian is a first-term state senator representing District 42. He was elected in 2003.

Current State Auditor Phil Bryant officially announced earlier last week that he is a candidate for Lt. Governor.

Pickering was The Meridian Star’s editorial board guest last week.



The Meridian Star: What is it about the state auditor’s position that drew your interest?



Stacey Pickering: The state auditor’s office touches every single level of state government, whether it’s the smallest local unit of government or the largest state agencies, and it even interacts with federal agencies at the cabinet level.

The state auditor is one of the most critical statewide officials we have because they are so intricately involved in protecting our state’s integrity on every level of government.



The Star: Where are you in the process now?



Pickering: We have until March 1st to qualify but our campaign has already been active. We’ve been putting together this campaign for the last several months.



The Star: Are you already getting out to the point that it feels like a state-wide campaign?



Pickering: Just this week we’ve been in DeSoto County, Jackson, Hattiesburg, the Coast, Meridian, we’ve already started covering the state very aggressively. In doing so we’ve been in Tupelo, we’ve been in Corinth, we’ve been in Iuka, we’ve been in Brooksville, I’ve been to Natchez ... Columbia, Columbus. We’ve been covering the state from Jackson County all the way to Memphis. It’s a big state but we’re having a good time already. You get to meet so many great people who truly are motivated to see Mississippi better.



The Star: What is the most important aspect of the state auditor’s office right now?



Pickering: Protecting our state’s integrity in Hurricane Katrina recovery. There’s $40 billion in federal money that’s flowing through our state agencies to local governments in South Mississippi, specifically the Coast.

We have to work closely with our local officials and our state agencies to maintain open record transparencies and checks and balances. Secondly, we want to work aggressively with the inspector general from HUD and the other federal agencies to make sure they’re comfortable and confident with the procedures and practices we have in place.

When there is fraud we need to aggressively investigate and aggressively work with local DAs and federal prosecutors to prosecute and hold those people accountable for violating the public trust they’ve been given.



The Star: How important is this office to the efficiency of local government?



Pickering: The state auditor’s office is critical to our local school boards, county government and even our municipal governments.

When it comes to school funding the auditor’s office is responsible for certifying average daily attendance upon which school financing is based. We need to work with the school districts to make sure that there is an accurate process that’s in place that’s standardized across the state where we can say all schools are receiving their fair share of taxpayer dollars to fund public education.



The Star: What do you say to voters who ask: “What does the state auditor’s office mean to me?”



Pickering: It means a lot. It means local school funding. They audit every chancery court, circuit court records, every city has to submit an audit to the auditor’s office.

There’s so many aspects and ways that they are intricately involved in local government that is so critical to the way we live our life day-in and day-out.