Steve Kimatian; Martin Masterpole (Courtesy of Steve Kimatian; Caitlin M. Francis)
To keep a close eye on their money, city voters have two new choices for city auditor in the November election.
The Democratic candidate is Martin Masterpole, now a member of the Onondaga County Legislature. The Republican candidate is businessman Steve Kimatian, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2009. The two are running to replace Democrat Philip LaTessa, who can’t seek re-election because of term limits.
The election is Nov. 8.
The city auditor is the government’s financial watchdog. He or she keeps track of the city’s money and how it’s spent. There are financial audits and performance audits, which measure whether or not city government is meeting its standards. The job pays $53,101.
The auditor provides “independent oversight of all the financial transactions of the city government,” said Kristi Andersen, a political scientist at Syracuse University. “All the money that comes in, all the money that goes out — he or she is charged with basically recording that, understanding it.”
The city charter includes the major areas that city auditor need to oversee:
- Oversight of all expenditures and financing city operations
- Oversight of school board budget and the amount of money the school district receives
- Recommendations to improve the way the city operates are the sum of the job
Here is a quick look at both candidates:
Martin Masterpole (Democrat)
Masterpole, 38, is a Syracuse native. He’s been in city politics for nearly a decade. In 2002, he was elected to the Common Council from District 2. In 2008, he was elected to the County Legislature from District 17. The district has included the west side of Syracuse, such as the Lakefront, Westside and Near Westside neighborhoods and parts of South Side, Strathmore and downtown neighborhoods. The current District 17 was eliminated in the recent redistricting of the county legislature, which lost two districts.
Masterpole is an owner of Masterpole-Murphy Insurance. His family will run the insurance company if he wins the race, he said. He will treat the auditor position as a full-time job. It has traditionally been a part-time position.
His qualifications, he says, includes his business and political experience. He calls city government his “first political love.” Masterpole added, “I’m a believer that if you like what you’re doing, you’re going to do it well.”
Masterpole is a friend and supporter of Mayor Stephanie Miner, according to The Post-Standard He says he will be able to put aside his friendship to do the job of overseeing city spending under Miner’s administration.
“We’re different people. We voted opposite on legislative items more than any two Democrats that were at City Hall,” said Masterpole.
On his Facebook-campaign page, Masterpole lists three goals if he’s elected city auditor:
- Create efficiencies within city government — for example, consolidating the city auditor’s office with the county comptroller’s office.
- Work cooperatively with county government to expand consolidation of other services.
- Independently look at budgets to make certain the taxpayers receive quality services at reasonable rates.
For example, Masterpole said, city parks department, county parks department, city transportation public works, county transportation public works, town parks and town transportation are all an overlap of services that needs to be looked at.
Steve Kimatian (Republican)
Kimatian, 67, is originally from Long Island. In 1995, Kimatian moved to Syracuse to become as general manager for WSYR-Channel 9. Now he works as a lawyer and media consultant. He also is an adjunct professor at the Newhouse School.
In 2009, he ran for mayor. He is the Syracuse city Republican Committee chair. He also is running for city auditor on the Independence line as well as the Conservative line in addition to Republican.
His previous race for mayor has helped him this time around, Kimatian says. “I had the opportunity to meet residents, and many of them say, ‘Oh yeah, I remember you, Steve,’” Kimatian says. “It sets a foundation, adds to credibility and continuing interest.”
Among his goals as city auditor, said Kimatian, are:
- To fill the vacant part-time deputy auditor’s office with a certified public accountant.
- Create a city-wide Wi-Fi network, called “Digital City.”
- Video-record city government meetings and make government more streamlined for citizen-participation and involvement.
Kimatian calls for more transparency and openness in city government. If he’s elected, he said, “Transparency will be like shining a light on the city. I want to create a city ready for the 21st century.”
(Caitlin M. Francis is a graduate student in broadcast and digital journalism.)
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