Sources: Mautino to Retire as Auditor General, Manley Appears Interested in Job
Then-Rep. Frank Mautino speaks in a House committee in 2013. Sources say Mautino will retire at the end of his 10-year-term as Auditor General in January.
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Multiple sources tell The Illinoize Auditor General Frank Mautino, who has served as the constitutional officer charged with auditing and overseeing the expenditure of public funds, will leave the office by the end of the year.
Mautino, a longtime Democratic State Representative from Bureau County, has served as Auditor General since January 1, 2016. His ten year term comes to an end at the end of the year and Mautino has been telling lawmakers he won’t seek another term in office.
He replaced longtime Auditor General Bill Holland after being approved by the House and Senate in 2015.
Mautino has not returned multiple messages from The Illinoize and a spokesman for House Speaker Chris Welch said he was unaware that Mautino has informed Welch of his plans to retire.
“He’s made it clear that he’s not going to seek another term,” said a Democratic lawmaker aware of Mautino’s plans.
One of the likely contenders to replace Mautino, Rep. Natalie Manley (D-Joliet), confirmed she had discussed the matter with Mautino.
Rep. Natalie Manley (D-Joliet)
“I think Auditor General Mautino has discussed his plans to retire with many people, including me,” Manley said.
Manley has served in the House since 2013 and, until the new General Assembly began in January, served as a Deputy Majority Leader under Welch.
Speaking to The Illinoize Thursday, Manley didn’t directly say she was interested in the job, but didn’t deny regard for the appointment.
“To be considered a candidate for that position is flattering,” she said. I do love the work I am doing and remain focused on the needs of my district.”
The Legislative Audit Commission, bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers, will recommend a candidate to replace Mautino. That person would then require a three-fifths majority for confirmation in both the House and Senate. Democrats have enough votes in both chambers to approve a successor on a partisan basis, though the nominee for the job is typically approved in a bipartisan manner.
Mautino served in leadership for then-House Speaker Michael Madigan and Holland, who died last year, served as a Democrat in the General Assembly, but both were well known for their reputation across the aisle.
Some legislators, including a couple of Democrats, say they fear Manley may be “too partisan” for the nonpartisan Auditor General position. Many Republicans we spoke to criticized Manley for her role in a special investigative committee into Madigan in 2020, which critics say “slow rolled” an inquiry into the former Speaker, who has since been convicted on corruption charges.
“I find it hard to believe anyone in the House Republican Caucus, other than maybe the extreme right members, would describe me as being ‘too partisan,” Manley said. “We have our disagreements, but I think most Republicans would describe me as fair and willing to work with everyone.”
Timing of a potential Legislative Audit Commission recommendation and a vote from the General Assembly on Mautino’s replacement isn’t clear, but isn’t likely to take place until at least the fall.
