Courthouse ‘friction’ heats up Franklin auditor race

The race for Franklin County auditor serves up two candidates who know the job but sharply disagree on what it is.

Incumbent Matt Beaton, a Republican, is running against Diana Izaguirre, a Democrat who won a spot on the Nov. 6 ballot by earning 3.6 percent of the primary vote as a write-in candidate.

Beaton, the only named candidate on the August ballot, received 96 percent of the vote.

Beaton is running on a platform of increased transparency in government and the need to fully implement the new software systems adopted to power his office.

Izaguirre is running on her background as an elections manager in Franklin County and elsewhere. She is focused on improved relations within the county courthouse.

Izaguirre attended Ventura Community College in California and Columbia Basin College in Pasco. She worked in the Franklin County Auditor’s Office for more than 25 years before she took a job managing elections in San Mateo, Calif., in 2017.

She worked through two election cycles in San Mateo before returning to Pasco, citing family reasons.

She was initially hired to the Franklin County post by then-Auditor Zona Lenhart, a Democrat. Beaton defeated Lenhart by 73 votes in 2010 and took office in 2011, making him Izaguirre’s boss.

He ran unopposed for his current term in 2014. A University of Washington graduate, Beaton is a former real estate appraiser.

The county auditor is responsible for elections, licensing, marriage licenses and recording documents. The office includes the elected auditor and a staff of 18.

Both candidates boast deep knowledge of the office and how it works, including the technology that powers the different functions. Both are endorsed by their respective parties — Franklin County Republicans for Beaton and Franklin County Democrats for Izaguirre.

Both registered with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission as “mini-filers,” meaning they will raise less than $5,000 during the election.

But they disagree on the role of the elected auditor.

Izaguirre says Beaton’s focus on auditing distracts from the other duties. She said “friction” between Beaton and other elected officials stems from his history of taking issues to the state auditor instead of “talking things out” with his colleagues.

Beaton counters he has a duty to report potential misconduct and financial losses to the state. He’s proud of his role in uncovering fraud in the county, including a recent case involving false claims for assistance from the county’s Veteran’s Assistance Fund.

“I came in to audit, he said.

The Franklin County Courthouse has been embroiled in interdepartmental disputes for the better part of 2018.

Beaton is not directly involved with the highest-profile dispute, a lawsuit by the Benton-Franklin Superior Court judges against Franklin County Clerk Michael Killian over control of court records.

In an unusual twist, Izaguirre is separated from Killian, which she disclosed when she announced her write-in candidacy in August.

Beaton has challenged the county’s handling of a series of anonymous letters that allege an employee in the commissioners’ office committed time card fraud. The commission hired a private investigator to identify the writer, treating it as a case of harassment. The private investigation was sidetracked when the sheriff’s office opened a criminal investigation.

The first letters arrived in 2015, but Beaton only became aware of the situation when he received two at the start of this year. Beaton believes the case could qualify for whistleblower protections.

He referred the case to the state auditor for investigation.

“It wasn’t reported until I reported it,” he said.

Beaton challenged Commissioner Brad Peck for his job in 2016 and lost. Beaton acknowledged the two are no longer as friendly as they were when he first ran for auditor.

“Driving accountability in government is a lonely affair,” he said.

Izaguirre said she too has questions about how the anonymous letters. She notes the target of the letters is an exempt employee not required to submit time cards.

She believes maintaining friendlier relations among elected officials would have kept the auditor in the loop..

“I would at least know why they didn’t (initially) take it to the sheriff’s office,” she said.

Ballots for the Nov. 6 election were mailed last week and must be returned or postmarked by election day to be counted.

The deadline to register online has passed. However, voters have until Oct. 29 to register in person at the auditor’s office at the Franklin County Courthouse, 1016 N. Fourth St., Pasco.

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This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 1:27 PM.