Brian Sonntag
Encyclopedia
Brian Sonntag is the State Auditor for Washington and a Democrat.
Sonntag was first elected to public office in 1978 as Pierce County
Clerk, working as the administrative officer for the Superior Courts. On November 4, 1986, he was elected to the office of Pierce County
Auditor, an office his father, Jack W. Sonntag, had held from 1948 to 1969. Following the end of his second term, Sonntag was elected Washington State Auditor on November 3, 1992. He has been re-elected every four years since then, most recently in 2008 with 70 percent of the vote.
Sonntag has served on the boards of United Way and the Boys and Girls Club. He has volunteered for the YMCA and the March of Dimes and has also spent several years coaching youth baseball and basketball teams. http://www.sao.wa.gov/About/Auditor.htm http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/guide/statewide_results.aspx?o=vdrLJFKeWDVhPIInqTikug%3D%3D
On May 7, 1999, the Municipal League of King County awarded Sonntag the Warren G. Magnuson Award for "implementing performance measures and the performance audit as constructive management tools for state and local governments, allowing them to operate more efficiently and be more accountable to their constituencies." http://www.munileague.org/awards/1999/ca1999.htm
Sonntag and his wife, Jann, live in Tacoma. They have five sons and three grandchildren.
(CGFM), a designation formally recognized by 7 states since its inception in 1994. http://www.agacgfm.org/cgfm/whyearn/default.aspx He has been a member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, State Productivity Board and the National State Auditors Association’s Performance Audit Task Force. Although four of the fourteen members of his executive team at the State Auditor's Office are CPAs, http://www.sao.wa.gov/Contacts/Index.htm the fact he is not a CPA has drawn criticism from some of his constituents. http://rednorthwest.blogspot.com/2005/07/is-brian-sonntag-qualified-to-do.html
Sonntag was first elected to public office in 1978 as Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
Clerk, working as the administrative officer for the Superior Courts. On November 4, 1986, he was elected to the office of Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
Auditor, an office his father, Jack W. Sonntag, had held from 1948 to 1969. Following the end of his second term, Sonntag was elected Washington State Auditor on November 3, 1992. He has been re-elected every four years since then, most recently in 2008 with 70 percent of the vote.
Personal
Sonntag was born in 1951 in Tacoma, WA. He attended Tacoma Community College and the University of Puget Sound. http://www.vgt2004.org/a-thesunlink/candidate-detail.go?id=1271751Sonntag has served on the boards of United Way and the Boys and Girls Club. He has volunteered for the YMCA and the March of Dimes and has also spent several years coaching youth baseball and basketball teams. http://www.sao.wa.gov/About/Auditor.htm http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/guide/statewide_results.aspx?o=vdrLJFKeWDVhPIInqTikug%3D%3D
On May 7, 1999, the Municipal League of King County awarded Sonntag the Warren G. Magnuson Award for "implementing performance measures and the performance audit as constructive management tools for state and local governments, allowing them to operate more efficiently and be more accountable to their constituencies." http://www.munileague.org/awards/1999/ca1999.htm
Sonntag and his wife, Jann, live in Tacoma. They have five sons and three grandchildren.
Experience
Sonntag has served in public office since 1978 and as an auditor since 1986. Sonntag is a Certified Government Financial ManagerCertified Government Financial Manager
A Certified Government Financial Manager is a professional certification issued by the Association of Government Accountants . It was created in 1994 to provide a professional standard of financial expertise and ethics in government and a standard by which government financial management...
(CGFM), a designation formally recognized by 7 states since its inception in 1994. http://www.agacgfm.org/cgfm/whyearn/default.aspx He has been a member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, State Productivity Board and the National State Auditors Association’s Performance Audit Task Force. Although four of the fourteen members of his executive team at the State Auditor's Office are CPAs, http://www.sao.wa.gov/Contacts/Index.htm the fact he is not a CPA has drawn criticism from some of his constituents. http://rednorthwest.blogspot.com/2005/07/is-brian-sonntag-qualified-to-do.html