CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Auditor Glen Gainer plans to run for re-election in 2016.
“I’ve debated a long time but I’m not ready to retire,” Gainer told MetroNews.
Gainer, 55, ran and lost a bid for Congress in 2014. The Parkersburg Democrat was handily defeated by 1st District Congressman David McKinley in the general election.
Gainer, who was not forced to give up his statewide office to be a congressional candidate, said the auditor’s post is where he wants and needs to be.
“I came in back in 1992 as an advocate of change and somebody who wanted to bring technology into government,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard.”
Along with bringing imaging technology to the auditor’s office, Gainer said he’s following through on work for the Oasis system, which includes shifting state employees to bi-weekly paychecks.
“I want to see this Oasis project through its completion. It should be complete next year,” he said.
Gainer and his staff implemented a purchase-card program that reportedly saved the state $145 million, though the auditor was later criticized by the state ethics panel in 2013 for appearing in a Visa video touting the cards.
The auditor said he relishes being accountable for state funds and making sure they are being spent as efficiently as possible.
“That’s what we’ve worked on my entire career,” Gainer said.