Power Profile: Scott Fitzpatrick, Missouri State Auditor
A decade ago, Scott Fitzpatrick was frustrated with government, but he didn’t want to be someone who complained without taking action, so he decided to run for state office. Now, he serves as Missouri’s state auditor. That’s not to say he still doesn’t get frustrated with the government — he does — but now he is actively doing something about it.
“I'm motivated by the opportunity to have an impact on the way state government operates,” Fitzpatrick said.
“The nice thing about the auditor's office is that my job is to find problems in government, make people aware of them and try to provide solutions to those problems,” Fitzpatrick added. “I’ve been here just over a month, and we are getting hotline calls about possible fraud and potential audit topics. I’m excited because these are things I have seen in government and now I have the ability to help determine why the problem exists and to formulate a solution. I’m motivated by finding inefficiencies, waste and fraud in our government and helping eliminate those things while holding public officials accountable.”
Fitzpatrick has been in politics for a decade, having been elected to the Missouri House of Representatives at 25 years old. He served as the youngest chair in the history of the House Budget Committee, where he spearheaded balancing the state’s budget and fully funding the education formula while tripling the state's surplus. In 2019, Gov. Mike Parson appointed Fitzpatrick to serve as state treasurer. As treasurer, he focused on expanding MO ABLE, Missouri's savings and investment program for individuals with disabilities and their families, and returning record amounts of unclaimed property to Missourians.
As auditor, and the youngest statewide officeholder in the country, Fitzpatrick plans to focus on how taxpayer dollars are being spent, including COVID-relief funds and resources appropriated for education. He pointed out Missouri’s budget has almost doubled in the last four years, increasing the opportunity for fraud and for wasting money. Fitzpatrick emphasized, “We need to make sure the money's being spent effectively and public officials are accountable for that spending.”
Throughout his various positions, Fitzpatrick keeps his approach to public office simple: Work hard and make sure you can look yourself in the mirror at the end of every day. And with many years ahead of him in politics, Fitzpatrick prioritizes doing the right thing for the right reasons.
“If you ever lose your motivation or the passion that got you into office, then it is time to go home,” Fitzpatrick said. “That would be the advice I would give to anybody considering public office, make sure you keep your priorities straight, and stay true to the reasons you got into this work in the first place.”