I had a chance to sit down with Ryan Wilson to discuss his campaign to be the next MN State Auditor. We talked a bit about his background running clinical trials and practicing law, issues with media coverage, the auditor race, his Save our Schools Plan and the benefits of having an auditor who actually - wait for it - audits state and local governments.

https://wilson4mn.com/

From his website:

Ryan Wilson is the Republican Party of Minnesota candidate for State Auditor. He’s a medical device industry entrepreneur, attorney specializing in defending constitutional rights and lifelong Minnesotan. But he’s most proud to be called a married father of five and a Little League baseball coach.

Ryan is the founder and former CEO of a Minnesota-based auditing firm that he grew into a global leader in auditing and conducting clinical trials. As an attorney, Ryan has worked on behalf of many clients across Minnesota to help them get answers that government is too often reluctant to provide to the public. Ryan’s professional accomplishments are rooted in his desire to seek and provide data that provides answers to the people who need them most. Those character traits and professional skillsets have prepared Ryan Wilson to serve as Minnesota’s next State Auditor.

In Ryan Wilson’s own words:

I decided to run for State Auditor after recent reports of significant fraud in Minnesota’s safety-net programs and the gross mismanagement of large infrastructure projects, and a disturbing regression in government transparency and accountability that Minnesotans have witnessed in recent years.

Minnesotans are fed up with a lack of transparency about how their tax dollars are spent. They demand good stewardship of the resources they provide to government. Sometimes government officials forget who they serve. I won’t.

As your next State Auditor I will ask the tough questions and bring accountability and transparency back into the equation of how the government spends your tax dollars.

Minnesotans recognize their hard earned money is invested in their local communities, but they need to know their tax dollars are producing results. The State Auditor oversees the spending of more than 4,500 local units of government (e.g. school districts, counties, cities) that spend a combined more than $60 billion annually.

Recent scandals are raising questions about who is watching how our cities, schools and other local governments spend their money, and Minnesotans are rightfully upset. As an attorney and business leader, I’m not shy about asking tough questions and getting answers.

Schools and local governments are essential, but they will do better with a State Auditor who shuns cronyism and political favors. Partisan politics has no place in the auditor’s office—transparency is not partisan, accountability is not partisan, math is not partisan. As your next State Auditor I will shine a light on our government so Minnesotans can decide for themselves whether their government is serving them well.

We know voters are tired of massive scandals of waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars in Minnesota. This office has never been more relevant than it is right now. There’s no room for extreme political partisanship or turning a blind eye by our State Auditor. I look forward to restoring a culture of accountability and transparency in government finance that’s been sorely missed in recent years. 

Voters across this great state want and deserve a real TAXPAYER WATCHDOG. I’m ready to win and I’m ready to serve.