STATE AUDITOR RACE

The state auditor position has narrow duties and little power. Alabama's state auditor has no power to do anything but perform constitutionally required audits. The auditor is responsible for the accounting of state personal property costing $500 or more. If state property is missing due to theft, the auditor has no authority to recover it. That job is left to the state Attorney General. Unlike the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, the state auditor does not have significant oversight responsibilities for the accounts of entities receiving or disbursing public funds.

Democrat Miranda Joseph, from Birmingham, is certified in internal auditing and in risk management. The 29-year-old received a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has worked as an internal auditor for a Birmingham bank and as an external auditor for several financial institutions.

Republican Jim Zeigler, a lawyer from Mobile, has no experience in auditing or accounting. He served one term on the Alabama Public Service Commission beginning 1974. Zeigler seeks to make up for his lack of experience with an abundance of enthusiasm. While acknowledging the state auditor has no power to retrieve stolen property, he promises he will bring lawsuits as a private citizen. 
                               source: Decatur Daily