Bob Drach is a candidate for North Carolina Auditor. His name will appear on the ballot on November 5, 2024.
Drach is being challenged by Jessica Holmes and Dave Boliek for the seat.
The first day of in-person early voting at your local registrar’s office in North Carolina is Oct. 17, 2024. NC voters can check their registration status using the Voter Search tool on the State Board of Elections website.
10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race, with a request for a bio and a list of questions to answer. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.
Name: Bob Drach
Age: 63
Race: North Carolina Auditor
Party: Libertarian
Website: https://www.electdrach.org/
Biography: I am a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). Incredibly, I am the only accountant running for NC State Auditor. The Auditor should be an accountant. I worked 4+ years for Deloitte, a major accounting, audit, tax, and consulting firm. I have been a US Peace Corps volunteer, a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), manager of several large businesses, served on a county board, and graduated from the business school at Stanford University. I am independent of the major political parties that dominate state government. An auditor should be independent, in both fact and appearance. Just last year, the Office of State Auditor was wracked by scandal and now we need a qualified, independent Auditor to restore the integrity of the office.
Why are you running for office?
I want to fix the mess in the State Auditors office and restore the integrity of the office. In 2023, ethical problems at the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) led to the resignation of the prior auditor. This created what must be a toxic environment as both staffing and output of the office are down by about 20%. What is worse, the replacement auditor is a political appointee and both major party candidates are not even accountants. It is a mess. The office needs a qualified, competent, and independent leader to rebuild the work environment, triage the problems, augment the talented staff, and bring technology that leverages the organization’s talent. I have the right skill sets and experience to do this job well. I will bring the type of leadership and financial management skill that will make our great state better.
If you are elected, what will be your top priority in office?
Because of the problems wtih the Office of State Auditor outlined above, my priority will be to rebuild the work environment, triage the problems, augment the talented staff, and bring technology that leverages the organization’s talent.
What is the top challenge facing North Carolina, and how would you address it?
Rancorous partisan politics is harming North Carolina. Voters see this, and in record numbers they are registering unaffiliated and with third parties. They do not like the choices that Rs and Ds give them, and they do not like it when politicians play games, fail to compromise in good faith, and fail to perform basic functions of government, such as performing timely financial audits. As a representative of the North Carolina Forward Party, I support collaboration and compromise in government. I support independent and third-party candidates when they offer the most qualified choices, as in the State Auditor race. I also identify with libertarian principles like keeping the functions of government as close to the people as possible, and civil liberties like freedom of association.
What is an issue in North Carolina you feel not enough people are talking about it? How would you use the power and influence you’d have in this position to address it?
The Office of State Auditor (OSA) has a waste, fraud, and abuse tip line. Most fraud cannot be detected by just an audit, instead it requires someone who sees the fraud to report it, so it is extremely important that citizens know about this fraud tip line. The tip line is 1-800-730-TIPS (8477). You can also report fraud by emailing: Tipline@ncauditor.gov. With a $30 billion dollar state budget, a well-functioning OSA can get millions of dollars more to their intended recipients.
How do you work with others you don’t agree with?
The two major political parties dominate state government. I am not affiliated with either of these parties. In that way I am the only independent candidate for State Auditor. By voting for me, voters assure that politics will not play a role in the audits that we pursue.
