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Klutz recounts ascension as state auditor in Lincoln Day appearance
Is county auditor really only five degrees of separation from president of the United States?
It may not work that way exactly, but a succession of five dominoes that began with then-GOP nominee Donald Trump ended with Allen County Auditor Tera Klutz as the 57th auditor of the State of Indiana in January 2017.
Klutz recounted that story as the keynote speaker at the Putnam County Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.
The first domino was Donald Trump becoming the GOP nominee for president, which he effectively did when he won the Indiana primary back in May 2016.
Trump then chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, leaving the Republican nomination n open on the November ballot.
When Eric Holcomb was selected by the Indiana Republican State Committee, he chose State Auditor Suzanne Crouch as his lieutenant governor nominee.
The success of the Holcomb-Crouch campaign then left the auditor position open, and that’s where Klutz enters the story.
Two years into her second term as Allen County auditor, Klutz didn’t necessarily have higher political aspirations. She is a native of Fort Wayne and was happy to remain there.
“I probably would still be there if not for this job,” Klutz said.
But then her name was suggested to Holcomb when he was tasked with replacing Crouch in the auditor’s office.
“I had been hesitant to take it just because it’s more of a political position,” Klutz said.
In even considering applying, Klutz first consulted her daughter Julian and husband Zach.
She approached Julian first.
“She said, ‘Yes, I want to go right now,’” Klutz recounted. “You know eighth-graders. She wanted a friend change.”
Talking to husband Zach seemed trickier, as he had risen to the level of partner in a Ft. Wayne law firm.
But Zach had volunteered with several political campaigns in his younger days, even helping to establish the connection that made Tera, a certified public accountant by trade, the chief deputy auditor in Allen County back in 2002.
With the other two at home on board (daughter Alyx is already in college), Klutz moved forward with her application.
Eventually, Holcomb, then the governor-elect, traveled to Ft. Wayne to meet with Klutz. Two hours later, he called and offered her the job.
As state auditor, her main goals have been to implement internal controls in the office, enhance transparency in the state and update technology in her department.
Klutz reminded voters that while she will not appear on the primary ballot, as the nominee for state auditor is determined during the state convention in June.
She hopes to appear on her first statewide ballot in November.
In closing, Klutz gave a nod to her humorous and perhaps unfortunate last name, noting that she hasn’t been a klutz in her job.
“I know it’s not easy to vote for a Klutz,” she joked, “but I haven’t dropped any money yet — at least not any of the state’s money.”