(Spirit Lake)– State Auditor Rob Sand made a stop in Spirit Lake as part of a swing he’s making through a number of northwest Iowa counties. Sand is making his feelings known on a new law that puts limitations on how his office audits state agencies and departments. Sand, who’s a Democrat, says he feels the bill was politically motivated but he says the opposition to it went beyond party affiliations…
“I really do appreciate the fact there were six Republican legislators who stood up for the right thing and voted against the bill. And I know, I know, that that’s the reason that in the state Senate they only had 10 hours from the bill getting introduced to having a final vote on the floor of the Senate because then very few people in their caucus actually had the time to read it and to have a chance to talk to any of the professionals in our office about it.”
Sand says several elements of the bill slid under the radar as it was being debated…
“They didn’t talk about the fact that they were taking away the court’s ability to check executive power. They didn’t talk about the fact that they were taking away our ability to reach the courts. All they said was, this shouldn’t be controversial, we’re just trying to make sure the office follows auditing standards. Well, we already do that. That had no validity at all.”
Sand says he feels there was pressure among those in the majority to vote for the bill…
“I talked to lots of Republican legislators and frankly, if all of the folks in the House who had told me they new the bill was bad had voted against it, it wouldn’t have passed. But there’s too many of them at this point who I think feel cowed by leadership who’s willing to primary them if they don’t do what they’re effectively told to do if they don’t vote the quote unquote right way. It’s not about voting their conscience for them. It’s about, you know, trying to fight the fights that you can fight but then just folding on the other ones because you don’t want to make anyone too mad. That’s not what government’s supposed to be about.”
About 35 people turned out for Sand’s stop this (Thurs.) morning in Spirit Lake. He’s also making stops today (Thurs.) in Estherville, Emmetsburg, Spencer, Storm Lake and Pocahontas.
State Auditor Rob Sand addresses a gathering at Memorial Park in Spirit Lake.
