The issues in the race for State Auditor

What's one specific way you would change how the auditor's office operates?

Merritt: "We continue to build on some of the changes we've already made that I think have been extremely constructive. ... Our top priority is going to always be [that] we want to be auditing in the place and in the programs where we can do the most good for the taxpayers."

Wood: "To approach this more as a team, take advantage of the talent that sits at the front line of managers and be more transparent. Morale in that office is the lowest it's ever been."

How will you convince voters that you won't have any trouble investigating members of your political party?

Merritt: "We have procedures in place like with the hotline or the investigative task force. As things come in, we treat them the same way. We don't sort them out and say these are 'R's,' these are 'D's' or whatever. I think I've got a proven record of not doing that. ... It just so happens right now that I'm a Republican and most of the agencies are headed by Democrats. ... If it were a Republican administration we would be doing the same things."

Wood: "I'm a CPA, and I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize my license. I worked for a Democrat for 10 years who showed no partisanship. ... We went after Democrats. We didn't hold back because of the Democrats."

How do you think the dispute between the auditor's office and the State Ethics Commission should be resolved?

Merritt: "We've got the right to ask them the questions that we were asking. I think it was something where, for some reason, they managed to muddy the water."

Wood: "I'm not so sure this isn't something that we need to be involved in. I've got to sit down with the law and decide, should we be in this fight or not. And if we should, I'm going for it. And if we shouldn't then I'm not going to try to make a political name for myself."

What additional resources does the office of state auditor need from the legislature?

Merritt: "When I came in I thought we probably needed a whole lot more auditors. I think we've been able to shift what we do and streamline what we do. ... We're coming in on a tough budget year. I don't expect they'll throw a lot of extra money our way."

Wood: "I need money for salaries. ... The people we audit are better paid and a lot of times more knowledgeable than the auditors."

What are your top priorities for the office?

Merritt: "We've got to continually strive to use our scarce resources in the best way possible to make sure we're auditing the programs that will do the most benefit."

Wood: "I want to take the partisanship out of the office. ...The second thing I want to do is develop better communication between the General Assembly and the State Auditor's Office. ... I want to put back a very stringent training program for auditors at all levels. ... It takes two years of training to get a person up to speed so that they can start working at the very least a little bit independently."