Swampscott — State Auditor candidate Suzanne Bump recently met with local delegates to the upcoming Democratic State Convention and other members of the Swampscott and Marblehead Democratic Town Committees.

Speaking at the Swampscott home of John and Judy Moynihan, 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 said 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.

“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.

“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.”

She said 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 atates to follow.” Bump said.

“Every successful business depends on its auditor to be a watchdog over its finances and to help it be more efficient,” said Phil Sweeney, chairman of the Marblehead Democratic Town Committee. “Because the commonwealth of Massachusetts has a multi-billion dollar budget, it is vital that we have a wise, competent and forward thinking person as its auditor. I am convinced that Suzanne Bump is the best qualified of all the candidates.”