By CHRIS GAROFOLO / Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO — Doug Hoffer has enjoyed working behind the scenes in Montpelier for years, crunching numbers and working with lawmakers on fiscally responsible policies.

Now the 58-year-old Burlington policy analyst and a self-described “numbers guy,” hopes to take his years of experience to the state auditor’s office.

After nearly two decades of pushing around financial data within the state, Hoffer has jumped headfirst into the auditor’s race after watching the Legislature pass the Challenges for Change bill (to restructure state government to make it more efficient without raising taxes) without the necessary fiscal resources.

“I think I can do a lot more,” said Hoffer, one of two Democrats seeking the position. “I saw the office, in my view, not being fully utilized, I saw that, frankly, I think there was an opportunity that hasn’t been there in a long time.”

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