By Scott Sherman

Recently, the City Council voted unanimously to place my proposed charter amendment on the March 3, 2020 primary ballot.

As Audit Committee chairman and a member of this year’s Auditor Search Committee, it became clear that there was a fundamental flaw in the Auditor selection process.

Currently the Mayor’s office appoints the City Auditor. This appointment process could create accountability issues since the City Auditor would be tasked with conducting oversight of, and holding accountable the administration.

To fix this flaw, my ballot measure, if approved by voters, would make the following changes:

The Audit Committee vets all applicants and nominates three candidates to the full City Council

The City Council interviews the three candidates and appoints the best qualified

Mayoral administration not involved in the appointment process

The City Auditor is vital to holding the city administration accountable and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent properly. The administration shouldn’t be in charge of choosing who is overseeing the administration. This ballot measure will help ensure this vital position is truly independent.

I appreciate the unanimous and bipartisan support this measure received at City Council. I am also thankful for former Councilmember Donna Frye who helped push this measure through.

I look forward to speaking with voters in the upcoming months regarding the importance of passing this measure in March of 2020.

— Scott Sherman represents District 7 on the San Diego City Council.