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Gov. Wolf relents after 9-month budget impasse

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Luzerne County councilman challenges loan forgiveness request by city chamber of commerce

Be glad that you can vote in Pennsylvania not only for heavy-hitting presidential contenders but also for people to fill offices such as state auditor general.Until the mid-1800s, the person responsible in this state for ensuring the legal and proper expenditure of tax dollars got appointed to the job. Today, in slightly more than half the nation&#8217;s states, the auditor general remains an appointee of either the legislature or the governor.Not so in the Keystone StateConsequently, you see the department&#8217;s staff, under current Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, poking into the performance of state prisons &#8211; specifically, the reporting and tracking of inmate violence &#8211; and the costs to school districts resulting from Pennsylvania&#8217;s prolonged budget stalemate. (The prison performance audit got underway this year; the school study last fall pegged the borrowing due to the budget crisis at more than $1 billion.)Those and similar investigations that potentially reflect poorly on elected officials&#8217; actions probably would not go far if the auditor general answered to someone other than the public.For his part, DePasquale seemingly enjoys the independence &#8211; and the bully pulpit &#8211; the post provides. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re pushing the envelope as to how much of an advocate we can be,&#8221; he told the Times Leader&#8217;s Opinion Board this month.DePasquale, it should be noted, is a York County Democrat seeking re-election this year. He will be challenged in the fall by Republican John A. Brown, of Northampton County; neither man faces an opponent in April&#8217;s primaries.Don&#8217;t misinterpret this editorial as an endorsement of any sort; rather, it&#8217;s merely a reminder that voting should be viewed as both a privilege and a priority. Sometimes, lost in the clamor of a presidential race, are the many other important ballot decisions to be made.Register to vote. Know what&#8217;s at stake. Study the options.Choose wisely.<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Register to voteMonday is the deadline to register before Pennsylvania&#8217;s April 26 primaries. Fill out<a href="https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx" target="_blank"> an application</a> by visiting www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us.</factboxMeta></div>

Our Opinion: Count yourself lucky, Pennsylvania, to have an elected auditor general