Jeff Tarte at a Newsmakers Breakfast

Nov. 29. Former NC Sen. Jeff Tarte, a Cornelius resident, plans to run in the GOP primary for State Auditor in March.

Tarte is a former mayor of Cornelius and the incoming chair of the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce.

Background

As a state senator he authored legislation that required the six largest departments in the North Carolina government to undergo an independent financial audit (IFA) every two years.

“Many of these agencies had not undergone an IFA in decades. The first one performed for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) identified millions of unaccounted-for money,” Tarte said.

Tarte served three terms in the North Carolina State Senate beginning in 2013 following three terms as mayor of Cornelius. Prior to starting his own consulting business he was a partner at Ernst & Young.

Incumbent NC Auditor Beth Wood has announced she will resign in the wake of a scandal involving her use of a state-owned vehicle.

Noteworthy

NC Rep. John Bradford

There are now two people from Cornelius running for statewide office next year.

NC Rep. John Bradford, a former Cornelius Commissioner, has declared his candidacy for NC Treasurer.

Another former member of the town board, Thom Tillis, went on to become NC Speaker of the House as well as US Senator from North Carolina. He now lives in Huntersville.