Mike Amrozowicz, the Republican candidate for the District 31 State Senate seat, recently hailed 20 GOP Illinois lawmakers who filed a House joint resolution (HJR) to remove Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino from office amid state and federal probes into campaign spending issues.
Amrozowicz said on his Facebook page that Mautino can neither provide accountability nor ensure public trust while under investigation.
State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Dist. 112) is the key sponsor of HJR 158, and said the state deserves an auditor general “beyond reproach and of the highest ethical standing.”
Mike Amrozowicz
| Contributed photo
Legislators earlier had asked Mautino to take unpaid leave while the federal investigation proceeds.
“Illinoisans deserve a clean government, and Auditor General Mautino, by his refusal to respond to public questions surrounding his ethical conduct, has demonstrated that he is unfit to remain in office," Kay said.
Amrozowicz agreed.
“I applaud Rep. Dwight Kay and the (HJR 158) co-sponsors … for standing up and demanding better for the people of Illinois,” Amrozowicz said. “Frank Mautino should do the right thing and resign; but if he doesn't, the General Assembly must act immediately and remove him from office."
Mautino faces inquiries regarding approximately $200,000 spent over 10 years on gas and vehicle repairs at a single Spring Valley service station, as well as $259,000 made in payments to a local bank since 1999.
“Taxpayers across this state deserve an auditor general who will give them confidence that their tax dollars are being spent wisely and ethically,” Amrozowicz said. “Only in Illinois would the top fiscal watchdog for the state be embroiled in a scandal related to shady campaign spending… . How can we have confidence in a person like Mautino … when he clearly can't handle his own bookkeeping? At best, his behavior shows him to be an inept accountant, and at worst, he is a criminal.”
Amrozowicz also criticized his opponent, incumbent State Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Dist. 31), for her reticence on the matter.
“My opponent in this race claims to care about ethics, and yet she has remained silent on Mautino's questionable spending and has yet to call for his removal from office,” Amrozowicz said. “As your state senator, I will always stand up for ethical and accountable government."
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