Candidate for NC auditor, Republican Jeff Tarte, answers our questions

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Name: Jeff Tarte

Political party: Republican

Age as of March 5, 2024: 67

Campaign website: jefftarte.com

Current occupation: Management consultant

Professional experience: Partner at EY, third-largest global accounting and consulting firm. CEO/co-founder of Applied Revenue Analytics, a multi-million dollar national technology consulting firm that specializes in data analytics and forensic investigative work. IBM sales executive.

Education: Economics, BS, College of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Illinois; Finance, Executive Education, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University; Quest, Partner Development Program, Ernst & Young; Compliance, Executive Education, University of Pennsylvania; Senior Leadership State and Local Government, Executive Education, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? State Senator, three terms; Mayor, Cornelius, three terms; LKN Chamber of Commerce Chair; NC IT Strategy Board; NC Cybersecurity Committee Chair; Cook Community Clinic Board; Chamber Foundation Board; UNC System Strategic Direction Committee; President’s Advisory Council, CPCC; NC eLearning Commission; NC Deaf and Hard of Hearing Board; NC Cancer Coordination Board; NC Health Information Exchange Board; Mecklenburg County Metropolitan Transit Commission; Commissioner, Mecklenburg Parks & Rec Department

What do you think is the biggest issue in North Carolina that you would be able to shape if elected?

Waste and fraud in state agencies and departments.

What do you think is or is not working well under the current office holder? If not, how would you change it?

By the primary election the current state auditor will have been in office approximately 10 weeks. That is not sufficient time to evaluate her abilities to perform the responsibilities of the office. Given she was a political appointment with limited related experience to do the job, she has a massive learning curve to become minimally proficient.

In what areas, if any, do you believe state government is wasting taxpayer money?

I know for a fact that there is waste in virtually every agency and department. Information technology is universally abused. In aggregate, IT wastes tens of millions of taxpayer dollars every year. Additionally, I have identified over $100 million of funds that are available to be recovered from over-payments and fraud in Medicaid, insurance fraud, as well as in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). ACRFs vs independent financial audits would require a treatise to explain, is a problem.

How would you prioritize the state programs and agencies that should be audited?

As required by law, $31 billion annual state budget includes over 40 departments, 16 universities and 58 community colleges compiled into ONE financial statement. The $24 billion NC receives annually in federal grants are required to be audited. Discretionary items such as performance, operations, IT and other investigative audits need prioritizing by a data-driven rubric. Prioritization must be transparent and independent from outside influences. State auditor does not need to be liked, just respected.

How would you work to make sure politically connected people and companies are not unfairly benefiting from state spending and contracts?

Does the state auditor have authority to determine what is fair or unfair? No. State auditor has authority to investigate allegations of a person or company “benefiting improperly” from political influence. Identify perpetrators by following the money. Technology is the path to a solution. A database registering large financial donors feeds a tool set of AI and neural nets to identify money donated, legislation/ordinances passed, noting who benefited while associating uncorrelated data.

What should be done to address staff vacancies in your agency and in state government as a whole?

First, determine why the vacancy exists. Understand what if any impact the vacancy has on the organization. Establish criteria and decision points to assist in determining whether the position needs to be filled or eliminated. Determine if there are any budgetary constraints. Assess where and if position(s) are filled and how these fit in the overall workforce plan. Departments intentionally keep vacant positions open to circumvent budget constraints. This practice needs to stop.

Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?

Both parties, any idea from the other side is automatically bad. Any idea from party leadership is automatically good. My position is to independently evaluate an idea or proposition on its own merits. Use critical thinking to leverage data-driven decisions predicated on fact-based evidence.