Tim Ash says auditor should focus on health care prices, housing and rural vitality

Democratic candidate Tim Ash told Town Meeting TV viewers that his priorities as state auditor would include health‑care prices, housing program effectiveness, rural vitality and strengthening the state's ability to withstand federal funding unpredictability. "The last 5 years in particular, we've seen the state budget go up 50%, property taxes up 40%," he said while arguing for audits that evaluate whether programs deliver results for residents.

Ash framed the auditor's role broadly — continuing required financial audits and single audits while selecting high‑impact program reviews that affect people's lives. He said the office should produce plain‑English summaries, increase social‑media and video outreach, and use data tools to detect duplicate payments and ineligible recipients.

Ash also emphasized the importance of relationships with the governor and the legislature to ensure agencies act on findings and recommended legislative hearings on audits as a norm.