Auditor general nomination approved unanimously in Illinois

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Illinois taxpayers will soon have a new watchdog approved unanimously by the state Senate.

Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino assumed the office in January 2016. Wednesday, the Illinois Senate approved Chris Meister, who is currently leading the Illinois Finance Authority, to be the new auditor.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, who serves on the Legislative Audit Commission, said Meister suggested bringing back a deputy director position for the office.

“At the end of the day, you’re getting someone with that breadth of government knowledge, extreme financial management experience,” said Rose, R-Mahomet. “And then I believe ultimately we’re also going to pick up, as a bonus, one of our other candidates. And at the end of the day, this body, and the entire General Assembly and frankly, the taxpayers of Illinois will be enormously well served with Mr. Meister at the helm.”

The auditor general is responsible for financial audits and compliance examinations of state agencies. The office also performs audits approved by the Legislative Audit Commission.

Wednesday, state Sen. Laura Ellman praised Rose’s nomination for Chris Meister to be the new auditor.

“This was a once in a 10 year activity,” Ellman, D-Naperville, said of selecting a new auditor general. “Nobody was really good at it. But through that leadership, Senator Rose guided us all through it and really is a bicameral, bipartisan, effort. So I’m excited to see the next Legislative Audit Commission under Auditor General Meister.”

After being unanimously approved by the Senate, Senate Joint Resolution 55 was also unanimously approved by the Illinois House Wednesday.

The Illinois Auditor General office’s budget is $43.3 million from state taxpayer funds. The auditor’s salary is more than $197,000.