State Auditor candidate Suzanne Bump was in the City to speak to dozens of Democratic activists at an event sponsored by State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, Boston City Councilor Maureen Feeney as well as Jim Keefe, Jim Hunt and Bill Waldzak.

Speaking at Tavolo in Dorchester, Bump explained that the Auditor is an independent arm of state government ensuring that state funds are spent legally and that agencies collecting fees for the state have workable systems to make sure that these expenditures are accountable and in accordance with Massachusetts law. Bump stated that she would expand this traditional role by also conducting “performance audits”. She explained: “I would focus scrutiny on the money expended via state contracts for services, especially in the health and human services areas, thus providing exciting opportunities to help government work smarter and deliver better government. Bump went on to state: “Through these audits, I will identify poor service delivery, inefficient administration, failures in oversight, improper spending, and excessive bureaucracy. I will recommend steps to be taken to remedy these problems and aid agencies in realizing these improvements.”

Bump continued: “As a legislator and as a cabinet secretary I have demonstrated a commitment to improving taxpayer value and customer service through my reforms of agency operations, establishment of performance goals, and institution of accountability measures and mechanisms. As an example she explained that when she was House chairman of the Commerce and Labor Committee, she coauthored a bill that reformed Massachusetts Worker’s Compensation system that at the time was crippling the state’s economic growth. “The result was reform that, to this day, brings fairness, efficiency and accountability to the system. It has saved businesses millions of dollars while delivering faster judgments to injured workers. It is still considered a role model for other States to follow”, said Bump.