As former state director for U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and campaign manager for several local candidates, I have been involved in enough campaigns to recognize a strong candidate with a sense of commitment to the office and to the people they serve. Throughout her campaign, Kathleen Davies has demonstrated the steadfastness and integrity the taxpayers of Delaware deserve in their next state auditor. In a recent letter (“McGuiness the smart choice,” Aug. 30) in support of another candidate, the writer uses the kind of vague, unsubstantiated innuendo that voters are tired of hearing. (His candidate “is not running to avenge real or perceived wrong doing.”) For the record, Kathleen Davies is running because it is her life work and she knows how to protect our tax dollars and expose fraud and waste. She also knows how to train the staff of government agencies, so they spend our money wisely. The same letter writer believes “that having a degree or a license merely allows one to practice a trade or profession.” I’d say that the licensing and certifying of doctors, accountants, social workers and auditors is more than a “mere” thing. If it’s “only the start” it is certainly a vital one. Kathleen Davies has 25 years of experience beyond this “start.” The writer also lists his requirements for the office of auditor. I noticed that training and experience in the field of auditing are not on his list. Finally, this writer states his candidate “is not running to get a job, but to do a job.” Well, I am happy to vote for a candidate whose education, training and experience qualify her to earn a living while working in a profession she loves. That’s why I am voting for Kathleen Davies for state auditor.

Betty Deacon Lewes