Kentucky’s most qualified and capable female public official, Auditor Crit Luallen, will be leaving office at the end of the year due to term limits in her constitutional office.  From Kentucky to the power women’s groups in Washington and across the country, “what’s next?” for Crit Luallen is on the minds of many.

During a time when partisan extremism has paralyzed most of the nation’s politics, Crit Luallen has managed to rise above the rancor and actually accomplish something during her eight years in office as auditor.  She has gone after fraud and corruption regardless of political party, and her work has lead to major reforms in several statewide agencies and organizations.

Herald-Leader Columnist Tom Eblen wrote the following editorial about the departing Crit Luallen:

As she leaves auditor’s office, Crit Luallen plans a break, then another run

It is rare for voters to want a politician — especially a Kentucky politician — to stay in office beyond the term limit. But I have heard many people wish aloud that Crit Luallen could be state auditor for life.

The comments weren’t meant to be critical of Adam Edelen or John T. Kemper III, the Republican whom Edelen defeated in Tuesday’s election to succeed Luallen, a Democrat, who must leave after two four-year terms.

Those people were just acknowledging the outstanding job Luallen has done rooting out corruption and financial mismanagement in state and local government. She raised the bar high for future auditors.

“I believe this office has brought a new level of accountability to the oversight of public dollars,” Luallen said in an interview last week. “And I think that has extended beyond just the folks who have been the target of our audits.”

Luallen came to the auditor’s office with a strong background in the financial management of state government. Her jobs with five previous governors included Finance Cabinet secretary, state budget director and secretary of Gov. Paul Patton’s executive cabinet.

“I wanted to use this office in a way that went after some of Kentucky’s historic challenges,” she said. “I saw public corruption as one of those.”

By law, the auditor’s office conducts more than 600 regular financial audits each year of state and local government agencies. During Luallen’s eight years, about 200 of those audits were referred to law enforcement agencies because of suspected criminal activity. As a result, 33 people pleaded guilty or were convicted of crimes.

But Luallen and her 135- member staff have attracted the most public attention for several special audits of quasi-government agencies, including Blue Grass Airport, the Kentucky League of Cities, the Kentucky Association of Counties and Passport Health Plan.

To read the entire editorial by Tom Eblen, click here.