State Auditor Stacey Pickering issued the following statement:
State Auditor’s Work Recognized with National Award
Denver, Colo.- Mississippi
State Auditor Stacey E. Pickering was the only state official from across the
country to receive the prestigious David M. Walker Excellence in Government
Performance and Accountability Award for 2014.
This national award is presented once every two years to three auditors
from the public sector accountability community who represent federal, state,
and local government.
Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States
Government Accountability Office (GAO)- the federal auditing agency- presented
the awards at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver during the 20th
Biennial Forum of Government Auditors.
In announcing Pickering’s selection, Berri Davis, director
of the Financial Management and Assurance Division of the GAO, said Pickering
took the position of State Auditor in 2008 to make a difference in government
operations, improve the public’s ability to understand how it works, and help
government leaders make better decisions.
“He has worked hard to bridge gaps, create partnerships, reduce fraud
and waste, and assist government entities in being better prepared,” Davis
said.
In his six years as Auditor, Pickering’s office has
recovered more than $21 million in embezzled, misspent, or misappropriated
funds. According to Rutgers University’s
Center for Public Integrity, Mississippi is 6th in the nation in the
enforcement of public corruption laws.
Additionally, the Office of the State Auditor’s (OSA) Investigative
Division has 57 outstanding indictments and 135 more individuals have pled
guilty or been convicted during that time.
Twenty-four public and elected officials have been removed from office
through felony convictions due to OSA investigations or they were terminated or
compelled to resign due to OSA investigations.
Pickering was recognized for his work with the Mississippi
Legislature to modify laws that improved OSA oversight ability and that
improved accountability to taxpayers related to:
· *Auditing the federal American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the new BP Oil Spill RESTORE Act;
· *
State economic development programs and projects
that use state funds;
* *Education accountability measures to improve the
accuracy of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula;
· *
His efforts to improve the work of his agency’s
Investigative Division.
In accepting the award, Pickering said, “The citizens of
Mississippi are beneficiaries of this recognition by the National
Intergovernmental Audit Forum. It represents six years of work by the Auditor’s
staff to strengthen laws to protect taxpayer money and hold government officials
accountable with a zero tolerance for public corruption.”
This is the second major award that the Auditor’s office has
received in the past three years. In 2012, Pickering received the National
State Auditor’s Association’s “National Excellence in Accountability Award” for
his work on ARRA accountability and oversight.
The National
Intergovernmental Audit Forum, created in 1973, is an association of audit
executives from federal, state and local governments. It exists to improve
coordination, communication, and cooperation among its members, private sector
firms, and other accountability organizations to address common challenges,
increase public trust, and enhance government performance, accountability, and
transparency.
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