I feel it is necessary to respond to Alan Magazine’s town council comments dated Oct. 16, 2018. His comments infer citizens who opposed the property tax were unnecessarily controversial. His commentary seizes the report to infer all past council decisions were correct and prudent. His comments are misleading.

An auditor’s report simply expresses an opinion on (1) whether or not the financial statements are presented fairly, (2) the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management and (3) if the statements are prepared in accordance with applicable Government Auditing Standards.

The auditors do not express an opinion on how the town spends its resources. Nor do the auditors express an opinion on the town’s effectiveness of internal controls. And, the auditor’s do not express an opinion regarding the justification of a property tax or endorse how the town is currently structured.

As an audit/finance professional, I feel compelled to clarify what the auditor’s truly communicate and explain what the responsibility of an auditor is. Please validate my commentary by reading the Independent Auditor’s Report found on page 17 where the auditors disclose their responsibility in conducting the audit: fh.az.gov/170/Financial-Reports-Budgets. Select the CAFR Fiscal Year 17-18 (PDF).

It was disheartening to hear Mr. Magazine’s comments. Did he mean to cast doubt on me personally and the other candidates seeking to restore integrity and trust to our town’s government? Or were they made out of ignorance? Either way, his commentary demonstrates a material lack of understanding of an auditor’s role and the purpose of an audit; a sobering revelation because one would think after four years of service to our community and serving as a member of the Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County Virginia he would have read one of those reports and understood an auditor’s role.