He’s by far the best qualified candidate.
Richard Eckstrom is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with an impeccable professional record… and most voters would agree that our state’s accountant MUST be a CPA. The recent bookkeeping problems with the state Employment Security Commission - in which its books were out of balance, it was months late with its annual financial report and it misidentified millions of federal “stimulus” dollars so that they could not be properly monitored - illustrate the importance CPAs in the accounting of state funds. (The Employment Security Commission had no CPAs in its accounting division.)
Prior to entering public service, he worked for Peat Marwick Mitchell - one of the nation’s “Big Eight” public accounting firms. While working for Peat Marwick Mitchell, he put together a proposal to audit state finances, which was accepted. During his audit, he gained unique insights which have proven invaluable during his service as the state’s chief accountant.
A Watchdog for the Taxpayers.
Richard Eckstrom is the only candidate for Comptroller who has a proven record of looking out for the taxpayers. He’s a fiscal conservative who has fought wasteful spending… a “Watchdog for the Taxpayers” who has championed efficiency reforms, accountability and transparency. On his first day in office, he began searching for ways to reduce costs by eliminating overhead and waste… starting with his own office. Today, the Comptroller’s Office is more lean and efficient than ever before. (Most government officials wait for budget cuts before they start looking for ways to reduce costs. Richard Eckstrom began “trimming the fat” from his first day in office!)
Eckstrom was also among the most vocal opponents of the federal “stimulus” act, which expanded the size and reach of government to unsustainable levels indebted… and buried our children and grandchildren under mountains of debt in the process.
Transparency is the key to good government.
Richard Eckstrom established the state’s first government transparency website, giving ordinary citizens unprecedented access to details about how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent.(Visit the site HERE). Now, from the comfort of their own living rooms, South Carolinians can view details about the individual expenditures of more than 80 state agencies.
Last year, Eckstrom expanded his transparency initiative to include local governments. He launched a campaign to persuade cities, counties and school districts to begin posting their check registers on their websites, and began travelling the state to personally meet with dozens of mayors, county council members and school superintendents. Because of Richard Eckstrom’s efforts, dozens of local governments in South Carolina have begun posting spending details on their Web sites - and more plan to do so very soon.
Shortly after Congress approved President Obama’s “stimulus” Eckstrom began posting individual stimulus expenditures on his Web site, making South Carolina one of a very small handful of states to do so.
A positive approach.
Richard Eckstrom believes in a positive approach to government service. If you want something badly enough, and believe in your cause, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.
When Eckstrom first proposed his Government Transparency Website, many said it could not be done. The “business-as-usual” crowd in Columbia said it would cost millions of dollars that the state did not have, and tried to discourage him from creating it.
Well, Richard Eckstrom believes that Where there’s a will, there’s a way. He began studying ways he could accomplish his goal. And, although the naysayers said it could not be done, Richard Eckstrom and his hard-working team created a website that lets South Carolinians see individual expenditures by state government - including such things as office supplies, meals for employees, bill payments.
Similarly, when many colleges and universities and state agencies complained that the cost of putting their charge card expenditures online would be too great, Richard Eckstrom did it for them. He did it using no additional resources… just his hard-working staff, a little ingenuity, and the will to show taxpayers where their money goes.
Richard Eckstrom is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with an impeccable professional record… and most voters would agree that our state’s accountant MUST be a CPA. The recent bookkeeping problems with the state Employment Security Commission - in which its books were out of balance, it was months late with its annual financial report and it misidentified millions of federal “stimulus” dollars so that they could not be properly monitored - illustrate the importance CPAs in the accounting of state funds. (The Employment Security Commission had no CPAs in its accounting division.)
Prior to entering public service, he worked for Peat Marwick Mitchell - one of the nation’s “Big Eight” public accounting firms. While working for Peat Marwick Mitchell, he put together a proposal to audit state finances, which was accepted. During his audit, he gained unique insights which have proven invaluable during his service as the state’s chief accountant.
A Watchdog for the Taxpayers.
Richard Eckstrom is the only candidate for Comptroller who has a proven record of looking out for the taxpayers. He’s a fiscal conservative who has fought wasteful spending… a “Watchdog for the Taxpayers” who has championed efficiency reforms, accountability and transparency. On his first day in office, he began searching for ways to reduce costs by eliminating overhead and waste… starting with his own office. Today, the Comptroller’s Office is more lean and efficient than ever before. (Most government officials wait for budget cuts before they start looking for ways to reduce costs. Richard Eckstrom began “trimming the fat” from his first day in office!)
Eckstrom was also among the most vocal opponents of the federal “stimulus” act, which expanded the size and reach of government to unsustainable levels indebted… and buried our children and grandchildren under mountains of debt in the process.
Transparency is the key to good government.
Richard Eckstrom established the state’s first government transparency website, giving ordinary citizens unprecedented access to details about how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent.(Visit the site HERE). Now, from the comfort of their own living rooms, South Carolinians can view details about the individual expenditures of more than 80 state agencies.
Last year, Eckstrom expanded his transparency initiative to include local governments. He launched a campaign to persuade cities, counties and school districts to begin posting their check registers on their websites, and began travelling the state to personally meet with dozens of mayors, county council members and school superintendents. Because of Richard Eckstrom’s efforts, dozens of local governments in South Carolina have begun posting spending details on their Web sites - and more plan to do so very soon.
Shortly after Congress approved President Obama’s “stimulus” Eckstrom began posting individual stimulus expenditures on his Web site, making South Carolina one of a very small handful of states to do so.
A positive approach.
Richard Eckstrom believes in a positive approach to government service. If you want something badly enough, and believe in your cause, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.
When Eckstrom first proposed his Government Transparency Website, many said it could not be done. The “business-as-usual” crowd in Columbia said it would cost millions of dollars that the state did not have, and tried to discourage him from creating it.
Well, Richard Eckstrom believes that Where there’s a will, there’s a way. He began studying ways he could accomplish his goal. And, although the naysayers said it could not be done, Richard Eckstrom and his hard-working team created a website that lets South Carolinians see individual expenditures by state government - including such things as office supplies, meals for employees, bill payments.
Similarly, when many colleges and universities and state agencies complained that the cost of putting their charge card expenditures online would be too great, Richard Eckstrom did it for them. He did it using no additional resources… just his hard-working staff, a little ingenuity, and the will to show taxpayers where their money goes.
Why Richard Eckstrom?
