Marilyn Icsman and Erin Couch | Cincinnati Enquirer

The Enquirer/Jessie Balmert

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Ohioans will elect a new state auditor this year. Current auditor Dave Yost is leaving his post to run for Attorney General.

All of Ohio's executive branch positions (governor, lieutenant governor, auditor of state, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer of state) are elected every four years. Currently all are held by Republicans.

Who are the candidates?

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Zack Space, D: Space, 57, of Dover, was a Democratic U.S. Representative from 2007 to 2011. He is also former public defender for his hometown of Dover. After serving in Congress, he joined the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease to focus on economic development in Ohio.

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Keith Faber, R: The 52-year-old Celina Repubilcan is a current state representative, former state senator, and was President of the Ohio Senate from 2013 to 2016. Faber has advocated for lower taxes and a restraint in state spending.

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Robert Coogan, L: Coogan, 66, is a retired accountant and worked for Cincinnati Bell and local nonprofit Health Collaborative in various leadership positions. The Libertarian ran for state representative in Ohio's 52nd District in 2012 and for Liberty Township trustee in 2013 and 2015, but was unsuccessful in all three.

What does the Auditor of state do?

The Ohio auditor's main role is to ensure that public funds are used properly. The Auditor conducts performance reviews of school districts and local governments to make sure money is being used in the most efficient ways. The office also runs financial audits to make sure public offices are using money correctly.

Salary: $109,962

Term: 4 years, 8-year limit

What are the main issues?

Space: Space said that public faith and confidence in Ohio's government is the main issue he wants to address.

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"I think the auditor is uniquely positioned to do something about the influence of money on policy," Space said.

He noted the for-profit charter school industry in Ohio as one example. If he were to become auditor, he has an initiative designed that would "go back in time" to audit charter schools and hold those schools accountable and lobby for policies that will prevent schools from scamming taxpayers.

Space also listed gerrymandering as one of his key issues, saying that it has eroded public trust and needs to be corrected.

Faber: Faber said his top priority is "making state government more efficient, effective, and transparent." He said he wants to return money to taxpayers and will work with local governments to ensure that they can stay accountable to their taxpayers and catch anyone stealing or abusing tax dollars.

As the first in his family to get a college degree, Faber said another priority for him is finding a way to lower the cost of college.

Since the auditor has a seat on the redistricting commission, Faber said he will "advocate for fair and compact legislative and congressional districts so community values are accurately expressed in their elected representation."

Coogan: Coogan said in the wake of the ECOT controversy, his main objective is to bring "independence and objectivity" to the office, resisting outside influences from donors and party policy. He will also prioritize honing efforts to audit charter and community schools like ECOT.

"I do believe competition in education is a good thing, but [it is important] to make sure those schools are financially healthy and operating the way they need to be operating," he said.

He hopes to work with the legislature to change the state law that prevented predecessor David Yost to audit nonprofit JobsOhio after Yost questioned publicly-funded agency's transparency. Additionally, he will also take advantage of the redistricting commission seat to end gerrymandering.

Coogan also noted he is the only candidate with professional accounting and auditing experience.

More Information

Space: Website, Twitter and Facebook.

Faber: Website, Twitter and Facebook.