His predecessors have come and gone, but Arlington officials and those watching on appear hopeful that the new selection for county auditor will have some permanence.
County Board members on July 23 appointed Wayne Scott to fill the position, one of the few posts in the county government that reports directly to the County Board rather than up a chain that ends with County Manager Mark Schwartz.
Scott, an Arlington resident for 25 years, has more than 30 years in the audit profession, most in the non-profit sector. “I look forward to leveraging my expertise and experience to uphold the highest standards of accountability within the county,” he said in a statement accompanying the notice of his hiring.
John Vihstadt, who pressed for creation of the auditor position when he served on the County Board and now serves as a citizen member of the county government’s Audit Committee, was pleased.
“I’m thrilled with the hiring of a new county auditor, and hope that the fourth time’s the charm,” Vihstadt told the GazetteLeader, obliquely noting the revolving-door nature of the post since its inception.
Vihstadt expressed the hope that Scott “gives us that magic combination of financial acumen, diplomatic skills and the determination to stand one’s ground essential to an effective and long-tenured auditor.”
With the position now filled, county officials will have to decide if they want to bring the office Scott will lead fully up to steam.
In the fiscal 2025 budget adopted in the spring, county leaders opted to leave the vacant senior-auditor position unfilled for at least a year and keep an assistant-auditor job vacant for at least six months. At the time, county officials said they would be open to start the hiring process sooner, once the new auditor was on board.
The independent-auditor function was inaugurated by the County Board in 2015, following efforts by Vihstadt, County Board member Libby Garvey, the Arlington County Civic Federation and Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), who shepherded the enabling legislation through the General Assembly.
