Letters of support

Times Argus
Published October 15, 2010

What a breath of fresh autumn air Doug Hoffer’s candidacy for State Auditor is. I have drawn on Doug’s superb economic analyses for years in my own professional and civic work. These have included Doug’s 2000 Job Gap Study Phase 6 “The Leaky Bucket,” still one of the most accessible studies that exist about the power of buying locally on the state’s economy, “The Economic Impact of Vermont’s Child Care System,” studies on the economics of renewable energy businesses, and so many others.

Doug has one of the sharpest minds I know. He is scrupulous about data sources, the quality of information he cites in his studies, and the conclusions that can and cannot be responsibly drawn. To put it simply, he never plays fast and loose with the facts. The depth and quality of his studies and reports is in a class of its own. In my interactions with him over the years, I have always found him extremely generous with his time and expertise. He is exactly the type of person one would want to lead the State Auditor’s office. What a special pleasure it will be to vote for someone so eminently qualified in November.

Stephanie Lahar

Montpelier

Times Argus
Published: August 19, 2010

Please join me in voting for Doug Hoffer for Auditor in the Democratic primary on Aug. 24. As an independent policy analyst over the past 17 years, Mr. Hoffer has generated numerous studies and reports that have challenged erroneous assumptions about Vermont’s economy and revealed important flaws in public policy. As Auditor, Mr. Hoffer will turn his critical eye toward the state’s finances, including the financial consequences of the state’s economic development and tax policies.

His attention to detail and scrupulous pursuit of accurate and truthful data analysis will serve us well.

Perhaps Mr. Hoffer’s own words say it best: “Wouldn’t it be nice if important public policy debates were based on facts?”

What a refreshing perspective. We need an honest and competent analyst like Doug Hoffer in the auditor’s office.

Leslie J. Matthews
Northfield

Rutland Herald
published August 19, 2010

We Vermonters are very fortunate to have the opportunity to vote for Doug Hoffer for Vermont’s State Auditor in the Democratic primary, and with any luck in the general election as well. I have been familiar with Doug’s work as an economic analyst for much of the past 25 years. His ground-breaking work with the Vermont Job Gap Study continues to be a very useful tool in assessing what a liveable wage actually is for working Vermonters. When I have had the occasion to contact him about these and related issues, I have unfailingly found him to be very approachable, well-versed and grounded in economic reality, compassionate to the needs of all Vermonters and well-able to make complex financial relationships understandable to those less versed in such issues. Surely his abilities and instincts will be well-suited to our need for a clear, independent and transparent analysis of our state accounts.

Robin Cappuccino
West Wheelock

Seven Days
published August 18, 2010

Could somebody have been feeling a little stung [“Which Watchdog?” August 4] in characterizing auditor of accounts candidate Doug Hoffer’s cogent and on-the-mark observations about the failures of the Vermont press to “do their homework” as “scolding”?

Hoffer will make a great auditor precisely because he’s never shrunk from telling the truth about whether Vermonters’ hard-earned tax dollars are achieving the results they’re supposed to. He’s got the analytical smarts and the managerial talent needed to run an office that will get the facts and create compelling arguments for change.

Hoffer cares deeply about working Vermonters. As the author of the benchmark Job Gap Study series, he introduced to Vermont the concepts of the basic needs budget and livable wage, which the legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office now uses as the basis for policy decisions in everything from economic development to human services.

What I’m looking for in an auditor of accounts is somebody who isn’t afraid to speak truth to power. In that respect, Hoffer has proven himself many times over with his unflinching, well-documented critiques of the deficiencies both of the incumbent administration and of press coverage of critical state issues.

And as someone who’s known him for many years, I can vouch that he’ll fulfill the role of state auditor with grace, clarity and humor, as well as dogged determination to see that Vermonters get their money’s worth from government. He’s earned my vote in the August 24 Democratic primary and the November 2 general election.

Wayne Fawbush
Montpelier

Seven Days
published August 18, 2010

In response to “Which Watchdog?” [August 4], I want to say how enthusiastically I support the candidacy of Doug Hoffer for auditor. I’ve known Doug for years, and he’s one of the smartest people I have ever met. I personally feel it’s a plus that he’s never held elected office and that he doesn’t worry about offending people. An auditor needs to be a highly critical thinker who is willing to stand up to anyone and not worry about stepping on a few toes. Hoffer understands public policy better than anyone I’ve ever known, and he’s a master at analyzing what works and what doesn’t — money well spent versus money squandered. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have in the office of state auditor than Doug Hoffer.

Elizabeth Skarie
Williston

From: “Donald M. Kreis”
To: drhoffer@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 9:44:37 AM
[sent to 800 people by an employee of the Vermont Law School]

Dear Neighbors:

If you’re like me — a Democrat, interested in this month’s primary — you have been focussing on the gubernatorial candidates and have not paid much attention to the other races. So I thought I would offer a few thoughts about the state auditor’s race — because it is interesting and because some of you might find it helpful.

I voted the other day — and, when I did so, I cast my ballot for state auditor candidate Doug Hoffer.

I did that even though I have never met Mr. Hoffer and have had no contact with him or his campaign. I’m voting for Doug Hoffer because I am familiar with his remarkable work as a policy analyst.

Many Vermonters these days support the “local first” movement, which coaleses around the notion of import substitution. In other words, a key aspect of helping Vermont’s economy survive and thrive is to make and grow things here to the fullest extent possible. The most oft-cited bit of research to support this notion is the “Leaky Bucket” report that Doug Hoffer wrote in 2000. It is definitely worth a read and so I created a link: http://tinyurl.com/leakhoffer .

Among the conclusions in the report (based on what is now outdated data): “If Vermont substituted local production for only ten percent of the food we import (10% of $1.808 billion = $181 million), it would result in $376 million in new economic output, including $69 million in personal earnings from 3,616 new jobs.”

A couple of years ago, an organization I played a small role in starting — the Neighboring Food Coops Association (NFCA) — commissioned Doug Hoffer to do a brief study of the economic impact of food co-ops in northwestern New England (the territory covered by the NFCA). I have a copy of what Mr. Hoffer produced and would be happy to send it upon request. The report identified nearly $280 million in direct and indirect economic impacts through business enterprises that do not extract so much as a cent worth of wealth for outside investors. I have never heard a candidate for high office in Vermont mention co-ops as an economic development strategy, despite their obvious advantages when compared to begging profit maximizing firms from out of state to deploy their resources in Vermont and maybe create some jobs. But even without having asked him, I know that Doug Hoffer viscerally understands the value of the cooperative sector of Vermont’s economy.

In addition to the above-cited research and analysis, Mr. Hoffer (according to his campaign web site, www.hofferforauditor.com) was under contract to the State Auditor from 1995 to 2000 and was the principal author of numerous performance audits and reviews. Acccording to the campaign web site, two reports dealt with performance measurement, which has been a weakness in state government for many years.

I really and truly do not have a dog in this fight. I am just someone who is familiar with Doug Hoffer’s excellent reputation and am excited by the prospect of someone with his perspective and capabilities holding statewide office in Vermont — particularly an office whose mission revolves around questions of money and accountability.

cheers,

Don Kreis