2010 MO State Auditor Election Spotlight: It’s Going to Get Hot

(Pictured left-to-right: Rep. Allen Icet, Susan Montee and Thomas Schweich)

Representative Allen Icet (R-Wildwood), better known on StateSurge.com for his sponsorship of House Appropriation bills, is on top of his game for the 2010 State Auditor race. As the Chairman of the House Budget Committee for five years running, Allen is looking to take his finance experience one step further. In this role he was responsible for allocating state funds—now he wants to help ensure state funds are getting spent and utilized in the way they were originally intended.

Thus far, the race has two other candidates vying for the state auditor position: Thomas Schweich (rhymes with bike), the former Special Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Susan Montee, the current State Auditor. Montee is the only Democrat in possibly contending so far.

If Icet is able to blow past the primary and defeat the incumbent, he will bring a very unique perspective to the state’s chief watchdog position in Jefferson City.

In the private sector, Icet began his career as an engineer, working his way up to eventually conducting audits and forecasts for Conoco Phillips. In the public sector, he worked on the House Budget Committee for all eight years of his legislative career, with the majority of that time spent serving as Chairman. This challenge has placed Icet as one of the most fiscally powerful people in the state, playing a central role in the allocation of Missouri’s $22-23 billion dollar budget.

This background outlines a sharp contrast to the other two candidates.

Schweich reportedly opted out of running for the open MO Senate Seat for an indicated exchange of support from Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, Rep. Roy Blunt, Sen. John Danforth and Sen. Kit Bond for his state auditor race. After widespread rumor of his bid being announced from a locker room in Washington University (Saint Louis), Schweich announced his candidacy in a statewide fly around with nominal support attending.

Montee is a formally trained CPA with much experience in administrative accounting. She received a law degree but otherwise doesn’t appear to have a very broad work experience outside of the field.

Thus far, Icet is the only candidate to release his first wave of endorsements.

Only July 7, (the same day Schweich announced his bid for state auditor), Icet released the 80 state representatives and 4 state senators that are endorsing his candidacy. To view the official press release, click here.

If Icet is able to secure the election he is expected by many to bring a fresh perspective to an otherwise officious office. With his unique experience in the legislature, he has built strong relationships in a bipartisan fashion with legislators from around the state. Furthermore, he has witnessed firsthand the all-too-common disconnect between the legislator’s original intent for, and the execution of, taxpayer dollars. After a review of his sponsored and cosponsored bills, it is not hard to see that he truly does have a great deal to bring to the people of Missouri.

To view Icet’s official campaign website, which includes an interview clip, click here.

Tom Schweich’s official website is: www.tomschweich.com

Susan Montee’s official website is:  www.susanmontee.com (despite the fact that she’s announced her intentions to run for election, she hasn’t posted any information as of this post date)