The office of the Maine State Auditor became vacant on Oct. 1 when former auditor Matthew Dunlap (D) stepped down.
The Maine Legislature elected Dunlap as state auditor on December 2, 2020, effective January 4, 2021. Under Maine law, he was required to have certification as a public accountant, internal auditor, or information systems auditor within nine months of the day he assumed office. Dunlap resigned on Oct. 1 after failing to obtain those credentials by the deadline. According to The Maine Wire, Dunlap said he intended to continue pursuing internal auditor credentials.
Deputy state auditor Melissa Perkins will serve as the interim auditor until the state legislature confirms a successor.
The Maine State Auditor is a statutory state executive position in the Maine state government. The auditor is in charge of examining all state financial records and reporting the findings to the Legislature.
Forty-eight (48) states have a statewide auditor, with New York and Tennessee being the two states that do not. The state auditor’s office belongs to either the executive or legislative branch, depending on the state. While both offices are similar in function, a legislative auditor functions primarily under the state legislature and is not considered a state executive office. Maine is one of 33 states that have state executive auditors. Twenty-three (23) states have legislative auditors, and eight states have both.
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