Fall 2025

Auditor Message: The Dangers of Cherry-Picking

(No, Not the Pie Kind, the Data Kind) 

Anyone who knows me—or the dedicated professionals in the Washington County Auditor’s Office—knows we’re passionate about quality data. Good data is accurate, complete, timely, and unbiased. It reflects reality—not someone’s narrative. It’s the bedrock of informed decisions, responsible budgeting, and public trust.

Good data does not come easy. It takes effort! Once we have it, we must protect it from being distorted, manipulated, or cherry-picked.

Cherry-picking is dangerous. It is the practice of selecting only the data that supports a particular argument, while ignoring the rest. It misleads. It distorts. It undermines public confidence. We’ve seen troubling examples at the national level—data being denied, dismissed, or weaponized for political purposes. I worry about the ripple effects of that here at home. If we can’t trust the integrity of our information, how can we trust the decisions based on it?

As your County Auditor, I believe skepticism is healthy—but it must be constructive. Asking tough questions, checking sources, and demanding transparency isn’t cynicism — it’s good social responsibility.

In my office, we live and breathe professional skepticism. That means:

• We test data before we trust it.
• We ask and investigate: Is this accurate? Is it complete? Is it relevant?
• We seek reasonable assurance, not spin.
• We check each other’s work, and we, ourselves, are audited to ensure our standards remain high.

And no—we’re not perfect. Sometimes the truth is murky, and sometimes we have to work with samples because of limited resources. Our commitment is clear: objectivity, independence, and accuracy in service of you, the public.

In an era where misinformation seems to spread faster than facts, we need to double down on truth. Not just abstract truth—but documented, defensible, accessible truth. And that’s what good data gives us. That’s also why I believe our systems need to evolve, even here in the metro area:



• We need stronger safeguards in the local government charters and/or code to protect the independence of Auditor’s Offices.
• We need to expand our authority to do performance audits and access to information of any public entities under those jurisdictions, including those currently exempt from audit review.
• And we need to invest in transparency, not fear it.

If you’ve read an audit report and have questions—reach out. My office welcomes them. We don’t hide from scrutiny; we embrace it. If we want better government, we have to start with good information.

In this time of confusion and complexity, let me leave you with this:

Be skeptical. Ask questions. Demand context. Don’t settle for cherry-picked answers.

Your government should work for you, and that starts with giving you the whole picture.

Coming in for a landing – Identity and Access Management Audit

Washington County has many computer applications it uses to conduct its business. These applications can have critical information about the County’s work as well as recipients of services.

The Auditor’s Office is reviewing the identity and access management over the County’s public records request application. The application manages intake of requests, gathering and review of information, redaction (if needed), release of information to the requestor, billing, and requestor payments. It is important to determine how well the County manages the processes of who has access to those applications, the users’ abilities, and what happens when changes need to occur. These processes protect information against unauthorized access and abuse.

Be on the lookout later this fall when we publish the audit!

The County Auditor Presents on Ethics at the Washington County Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Candidate Training Academy

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce has a great, nonpartisan program for aspiring candidates, campaign supporters, and community members who want to understand the path to elected leadership. Over four Saturdays, members of the training cohort get real-world insights into building a strong, ethical, and community-driven campaign. Auditor Kristine was invited and presented on Ethics in Campaigning and Governance. Many thanks to the Chamber for the opportunity to present on this important topic!

Fiona Howell Earle Authors Professional Article on Risk Assessments

Senior Management Auditor Fiona Earle wrote an article, “A Tale of Two Risk Assessments – Why and How Auditors Do Risk Evaluations,” in the ALGA Quarterly. In it, she provides a “how to” explanation on identifying and measuring risks with two different type of assessments done by Washington County auditors, along with justifications for doing both.

Writing an occasional article is a great way for our office to share knowledge with our colleagues in other government audit shops, and our auditors earn continuing professional education credits for writing the article! It’s a win-win and budget friendly!

Status of Audit Schedule Projects

Remember to Vote in the November Election

This November there will be two replacement levies on the ballot for Washington County – one to support countywide library services and the other the support public safety services. The County’s Elections Division will begin to mail ballots to voters on Wednesday, October 15. Get prepared and make a plan that includes when you will receive your ballot, when and where you will vote, and how you will be returning your ballot!

Did You Know...

Senior Management Auditor Sherry Kurk was in the Association of Local Government Auditor’s September Newsletter in its “Meet a Member” spotlight!

Invite the Auditor!

If you’d like me and/or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, make a request by emailing us at: countyauditor@washingtoncountyor.gov.