State auditor recruits citizens to investigate government waste, corruption

Alabama state auditor Jim Zeigler has unveiled a plan to solicit the help of citizen volunteers to help his office detect and investigate government waste and abuse.

Zeigler told a Tea Party group in Chilton County, Ala. he hopes to build teams of “citizen researchers” with expertise in a variety of useful occupations – accounting, government service, law and business – to “independently investigate reports of governmental malfeasance or wrongdoing,” according to the conservative Alabama Today site.

“People will email me, stop me in the grocery store or stop by my office with a complaint about something that’s not right in government,” Zeigler told Alabama Today. “Without a professional staff to look into all of them, this plan is the best way I can think of to research these items and separate the sheep from the goats.”

Because the 10-person auditor’s office has limited resources – and because whispers of waste and corruption are so frequent – Zeigler said it makes sense to invite Alabama citizens to assist state government in serving the public interest. In fact, he’s hesitant for lawmakers to codify his idea in a legislative act – because it might construct a barrier to the way citizens involve themselves in the process.

“When asked if he would like to see someday the program inscribed in state statute, Zeigler said he would rather the volunteer claims research remain simply a policy of the state auditor’s office, insulated from statehouse influence,” Alabama Today explained.

Zeigler said he doesn’t know of similar volunteer programs in other states, but said he believes the idea “has great potential.”

The post State auditor recruits citizens to investigate government waste, corruption appeared first on Personal Liberty.

from PropagandaGuard https://propagandaguard.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/state-auditor-recruits-citizens-to-investigate-government-waste-corruption/

from WordPress https://toddmsiebert.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/state-auditor-recruits-citizens-to-investigate-government-waste-corruption/