Out In The Mountains : News - Abbott, Salmon Take On Republican Incumbent

Martha Abbott, Thomas Salmon Take On Republican Incumbent
Auditor Randy Brock Vies for Second Term

by Lynn McNicol & Tina Giangrande

      An Underhill Progressive and a Rockingham Democrat are challenging state aud itor of accounts Randy Brock, a Republican, on fronts including healthcare payments, corporate tax credits, and connections to Vermont towns and cities.
      In her July announcement speech at Burlington’s City Hall, Progressive Martha Abbott brought up payment for nonexistent health services in the Department of Corrections, saying there has been a lack of followup to make sure this has been corrected.
      Brock told OITM “there was some repayment” regarding contractual health care services for the Department of Corrections, and that his office will be taking a further look at vendors providing medical care this year. Abbott also criticized the timing of Brock’s recently announced review of Medicare and Medicaid.
       “What took so long? Where has the state auditor been for the past two years?” she asked.
      Brock said the state audits Medicaid annually, because the state provides about 40 percent of its funds; the federal government supplies the other 60 percent. Medicare is a federal program, he said, so the state auditor has no authority over it.
       Abbott also noted that the state has offered millions of dollars in tax credits to companies to encourage them to create more jobs. However, she charged, when the jobs don’t materialize, the companies have not been required to pay back the credits.
       “Why is this not being investigated?” Abbott wanted to know. Brock said that a new system passed by the Legislature went into effect this summer that requires the credits be based on actual payroll taxes, rather than projections of new jobs and capital investments under the old system. He said his office will report on the success of the former program in January, 2007, and another report on the new program is due the following January. Further, Brock said, the award of tax credits to companies doesn’t necessarily mean they were taken.
       Democrat Thomas Salmon brings different concerns to the race. He told OITM there is a “disconnect” between Main Street and State Street, between the towns and the state government. Salmon has experienced both, he said, as a former CPA with the Vermont Department of Labor and with local politics. Salmon made his first bid for public offi ce last March for the Rockingham select board, and said as a selectman, he was involved in helping find a new town manager and financial director. He said the board has successfully dealt this year with the divisive issues of whether to buy the local dam, and how to deal with financial problems the town has had.
      Salmon said he is running because he wants to serve, because it’s time for a CPA as auditor, and because it’s “critical” to have someone in office who has experience at the town level. “We don’t have time for infighting - we have problems to solve,” he said. Abbott said if elected, she will actively watch the state’s expenditures and answer directly to taxpayers. Abbott was not available for an interview with OITM.
       Brock said Vermonters should vote for him because he’s “the only one (candidate) who’s actually managed an audit organization.” He is a certified fraud examiner and has taught related subjects overseas. Brock said he is free of political bias or agenda.
      “I stay out of the public policy area,” he said.
       Brock has been criticized by Tina Buehler, attorney for former Windham County Sheriff Sheila Prue, as unfairly singling out Prue, who is a Democrat and a lesbian, in an audit report that resulted in her being charged with mishandling public funds. Buehler said that other sheriffs had also been guilty of improperly handling funds. Brock said the 14 sheriffs in Vermont are audited biannually, so six other sheriffs were audited in the same time period as Prue. He said no other audit resulted in findings of such “fraud, theft, deception, and false records.” The last conviction was of a Washington County sheriff two years ago in a similar case, Brock said.

Martha Abbott

Progressive

Abbott served on Burlington's city council from 1994 to 1998, represented Burlington at the U.N. Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming in Kyoto, Japan, and has chaired the state Progressive Party for the past five years. She was involved in starting Women Helping Battered Women in the 1970s. A native Vermonter and graduate of Burlington High School and the University of Vermont, Abbott co-founded Independent Tax Service in Burlington. She lives in Underhill with Barbara Brody, her partner of 20 years. Barbara Nolfi served with Abbott on the Burlington council.

"Her talents fit really well with the auditor role," Nolfi said. "She always speaks up for what she thinks is right."

Randy Brock

Republican (incumbent)

Originally from Philadelphia, Auditor of Accounts Randy Brock has lived in Swanton for the past 20 years, according to the Vermont Republican Party website. A graduate of Middlebury College and Yale University, Brock is now retired from Fidelity Investments, where he served as executive vice president and general auditor. He spent more than 10 years as chair of the State Board of Private Investigative and Security Services. Brock received medals of honor for his service in the U.S. Army's Military Police Corps. He is a member of the board for the Alzheimer's Association
and is vice chair of the board of the International College Foundation.

Brock and his wife Andrea have one child.

Thomas Salmon

Democrat

A native Vermonter living in Bellows Falls, Salmon is serving his first term on the Rockingham selectboard.
Salmon formerly worked as a CPA for Joe Pieciak & Co. in Brattleboro. He has taught disadvantaged students and served in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Last year, Salmon volunteered with victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi where he was impressed by the people who had lost so much but didn't lose heart.

"It was a flashpoint for me," said Salmon, whose experience led in part to his decision to run for office in March.

Photos (l. to r.) by Lynn McNicol,
courtesy of Office of State Auditor,
courtesy of Thomas Salmon.