Iowa Republican State Auditor, Mary Mosiman, has come under fire recently for her claim that her Democratic opponent, former Iowa Attorney General’s Office prosecutor, Rob Sand, could not complete audits because he is not a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Many county attorneys across the state, including those from her own party, are correcting Mosiman on this statement. This group includes Carroll County Attorney, John Werden. “Mary Mosiman’s claim is wrong,” Werden says. “I believe the reason we have audits is because it is suspected that someone has misused the trust placed in them. Misstating the law is a misuse of the trust placed in a person in an elected position.” Past President of the Iowa Association of County Attorneys and current Republican Pottawattamie County Attorney, Matt Wilbur, says that the report in The Iowa Falls Times Citizen is in line with his own interpretation of the law, and they had it right when they printed that Mosiman was wrong. “Any argument that a CPA is required to lead the State Auditor’s Office is wrong,” he says. “Rob Sand can issue every audit, just as all State Auditors from all walks of life have done for many, many years.” Chair of the Iowa State University’s accounting department, Bill Dilla, says the comment Mosiman has made is “not exactly true.” His understanding is that the auditor or a deputy of the department can sign off on the audits. According to Sand’s campaign manager, Andrew Turner, Sand has personally reached out to Mosiman twice for a discussion on the statement, but she has yet to respond. Turner says.” Now that she has been checked by other accountants and Republican attorneys, she has a choice to make. We hope she chooses to correct this and focus [on] real issues for the rest of the race.”
