The five Republicans running for state auditor say incumbent Democrat Beth Wood has been weak in rooting out waste, fraud, and inefficiency in state government. Lack of transparency, selective auditing, and inefficient use of staff resources plague the office, they say. Public confidence in government’s ability to police itself has plummeted as a result, according to GOP candidates Joseph Hank DeBragga, an auditor in the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Beaufort County GOP Chairman Greg Dority; Wake County Board of Education member Debra Goldman; former state Sen. Fern Shubert; and Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright...

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