Guest Editorial: State Rep. Wolgamott - Why I’m Running for State Auditor
After eight years delivering results in the Legislature, I’m ready to protect taxpayer dollars, support local governments, and restore trust in Minnesota’s finances.
**BNB Note: The guest editorial below was written by State Representative Dan Wolgamott*
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My name is Dan Wolgamott. I’m a husband, dad, football coach, and State Representative with a proven ability to deliver results and win tough races. I’m running for State Auditor because I’m passionate about supporting local governments, combating fraud, and restoring trust in Minnesota’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
After 8 years of leadership in the Minnesota House, I have the experience and relationships in both governing and winning tough elections that make me the DFL’s best choice for State Auditor.
As the DFL Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, I’m responsible for a $4 billion budget. I know the numbers on the spreadsheet are more than just facts and figures, they represent people’s lives, economic well-being, life-changing opportunities, and our DFL values.
I’ll take office ready to spearhead the auditor’s crucial role of supporting local governments – I’ve worked with cities, counties, and townships across our state and authored more than 40 pieces of legislation relating to local government finances, tax increment finance districts, cost share appropriation allocations, inter-government data exchanges and more!
Overseeing retirement funds for Minnesota’s public workers is a critical piece of what our State Auditor does. I’ll take office having led winning efforts to strengthen pensions for teachers and first responders as a member of the Legislative Pensions committee.
Like all Minnesotans, I have been appalled to see considerable fraud being committed in programs meant to help the most vulnerable in our communities. The fleecing of good-faith programs wastes taxpayer dollars, creates reasonable distrust in state government, and, worst of all, takes resources away from the Minnesotans who need them most.
Minnesotans need an elected watchdog ensuring the accountability, transparency, and integrity of programs paid for with their tax funds. We can accomplish this by working with the legislature to expand the authority of the Office of State Auditor.
I have a plan to expand the Auditor’s authority to audit state agencies and programs, to ensure integrity, compliance, and to investigate fraud, issue subpoenas, and refer cases for prosecution. I will also launch an anonymous tip line so Minnesotans can report suspicions of fraud directly to my office. With these tools, Minnesota’s Auditor will be empowered to serve as an independent watchdog directly accountable to voters.
I have modeled this plan off of the Iowa Office of State Auditor, and will partner with the Office of Legislative Auditor in a manner similar to how local police departments partner with county sheriffs. The status quo is not acceptable, and Minnesota voters expect us to put forward a common-sense solution to improving our financial structures and ensuring integrity in the spending of state dollars.
In 2022, the State Auditor election was decided 0.3% - we need a proven winner in this race. If a Republican wins, they will weaponize the auditor’s office and turn it into a Minnesota version of DOGE. I am the only battle-tested DFLer – who knows how to win tough elections – in this race.
I am also the only House Democrat in Minnesota who represents a district won by Donald Trump – I know how to deliver our DFL message in a way that resonates with voters who don’t automatically vote for Democrats. I flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018 and have overcome millions of dollars of right-wing attacks & propaganda to hold the seat ever since. I have the battle-tested campaign experience to win the Auditor’s office and help DFL candidates up-and-down the ballot in Minnesota, and I promise to you that I will work relentlessly to deliver victories for Democrats across the state.
Humbly, I’m asking for your support for the DFL endorsement for State Auditor. Together, we can keep this office in DFL hands and restore confidence in Minnesota’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars!