Spokane County Auditor

Thu., Oct. 29, 1998

Grayden Jones Staff writer

The Spokane County auditor’s race pits two businesslike candidates who have eschewed politics to campaign like they’re applying for a job.

Both Vicky Dalton and Matt McCoy are asking voters to hire them for the $59,000-per-year position.

The pair represent a new generation of public servants seeking to retain the respect of retiring auditor Bill Donahue while applying fresh ideas to modernize county services.

Donahue, a Democrat, is retiring after 16 years in office. The auditor serves a four-year term, managing a $3 million budget and 53 employees.

The office is charged with conducting county elections, issuing marriage licenses and auto tabs, recording property deeds, preparing financial reports and monitoring the actions of the commissioners.

Dalton, 37, views the auditor as the county’s chief financial officer and fiscal watchdog. The certified public accountant has spent nearly a decade as the county’s internal auditor.

The Democrat wants to hold the county accountable for use of taxpayer money and to provide better training and reporting in all departments. She takes credit for investigating fraud, helping change the county’s cash handling procedures and drafting policy for travel and cell phone use.

McCoy, 38, views the auditor as a consumer advocate and top elections official. The international trade expert has spent the last six years as a business development officer for United Parcel Service and a financial consultant for New York Life Insurance Co.

The Republican wants to make the auditor’s department more consumer-friendly by reducing the time it takes to process property deeds and publishing a county voter’s pamphlet. He says he regularly handles auditing procedures at UPS while serving more than 1,000 customers.

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