Sandberg and Summerhays lay out contrasting visions for Utah County auditor at GOP forum

Gina Sandberg, a county budget manager and candidate for Utah County auditor, and Ben Summerhays, a Provo City Council member and auditor candidate, presented competing approaches to the auditor’s role at a Utah County Republican Party forum in Lehi.

Sandberg, who introduced herself as "Gina Sandberg" and said, "I have a master's degree in accounting," described two years working inside the auditor’s office and stressed that the county auditor is "the county's accountant" whose job is to ensure "transparency and accountability for every dollar" spent. She told delegates the auditor’s office performs five core functions — accounting, budgeting, internal auditing, tax administration and procurement — and must help departments meet statutory responsibilities while ensuring compliance with accounting standards.

Summerhays opened by saying county budgets and expenses are "growing about twice as fast as population and inflation combined," and argued the county needs an outside perspective able to "challenge the status quo." He cited private‑sector executive experience, leadership of large teams and service on the Provo City Audit Committee and the Provo City Council as evidence that he can push for fiscal discipline while working with elected officials and departments.

Both candidates discussed audit standards and professional credentials. Sandberg said she does not currently hold a Certified Internal Auditor credential but has a master's in accounting and plans to pursue the CPA exam; Summerhays said he recently earned his Certified Internal Auditor credential in March and described experience procuring external and internal auditors and overseeing SOC‑2 and banking audits in the private sector.

On audit practice, candidates emphasized communication and corrective action rather than "gotcha" approaches. One candidate described working with a sheriff’s office to translate an undocumented operational practice into a written policy so it could be properly audited and improved. Both said effective audits should identify remediation and monitoring steps rather than only report failures.

The forum also touched on local budgeting decisions. Summerhays pointed to recent county spending trends and invoked the party platform’s language that budgets should not grow faster than population and inflation combined. Sandberg stressed the auditor’s role in producing accurate, useful information for commissioners and said the office must present numbers that elected officials can rely on before policy and tax decisions are made.

Attendees asked about Yellow Book (Government Auditing Standards) experience; one candidate said they have not personally conducted Yellow Book audits but emphasized the office’s use of audit committees, outside subject‑matter experts and attorneys when enforcement or prosecution is appropriate.

A forum attendee remark noted a prior large tax‑calculation error affecting other jurisdictions; the transcript records mention of an approximately $5 million tax error that affected Pueblo City and other entities and of a 2024 projection of a $9 million shortfall that preceded a tax increase, but the forum transcript does not clearly attribute those examples to a single candidate in the record available. Organizers closed by sharing candidate contact details (auditorgina.com and travisforutah.org) and reminding delegates of the upcoming county convention at Skyridge High School.

The candidates will continue to seek delegate support ahead of the party’s primary and convention; no formal vote or action on the auditor office was taken at the forum.