Hello, I’m Toni Smart and I’m running to be your next Orange County Auditor-Controller.
I am a proud working mother of two. I have a son who is a junior at Tustin High School and a daughter who is also a CPA. My family has made Accounting their life. My grandfather was an accountant for a manufacturing company and my sister is an accountant for a network of dentists. My daughter is working for a local firm where she does forensic accounting and business valuations testifying as an expert witness in court. I am also a graduate of Cal State University Fullerton and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, and a long-time resident of Tustin.
Many people do not know that the office of Auditor-Controller has many important support functions to the community. Some of the key responsibilities include:
· ensuring that community programs and vendors are paid on time,
· processing a payroll for over 16,000 County employees,
· allocating property tax dollars to cities and schools (meaning our children’s school districts),
· and preparing financial statements and federal grant reports.
I have over 22 years of experience as both an Internal Auditor and Accountant in the County of Orange and City government and for the last several years I’ve held the title of Director of the Auditor-Controller Internal Audit Division where I built a team of 17 auditors that performed critical reviews of the County’s information technology systems, internal controls, fiscal monitoring, and County contracts.
It was during one those audits that my team and I identified over $300,000 in vendor fraud and millions due by third parties to the County. That was your tax money that was being misused!
I am running for Auditor-Controller to restore the financial leadership role within this office. This office should and needs to operate lean & efficiently so that YOUR taxpayer dollars are going towards critical services and to its constituents to provide safety protection, homelessness, infrastructure, animal care services, and public health that support women and children.
Once elected I pledge to serve the County citizens and ensure there is a proper system of checks and balances over the billions that pass through the various County programs and systems.
Again, I’m Toni Smart and I ask you to VOTE SMART this upcoming June and vote for me to be your next Orange County Auditor-Controller.
