< Back to front page Text size – +

Bump sworn in as new state auditor

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane January 19, 2011 11:32 AM

Tweet
E-mail

Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff

Suzanne M. Bump prepared to speak after being sworn-in as Massachusetts' 25th state auditor by Governor Deval Patrick.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

BROCKTON – For the first time in 24 years, Massachusetts has a new state auditor.

Suzanne M. Bump, a former Democratic state lawmaker and former state labor official, took the oath of office today before hundreds of students at Cardinal Spellman High School, her alma mater.

Photos

State treasurer and auditor sworn in

Bump, who replaces A. Joseph DeNucci, vowed to make government more responsive, to make greater use of technology and the Internet, and to travel the state, listening to residents.

“We all have legitimate questions about whether and how effectively government is meeting the public’s needs,” Bump said. “I intend to use the knowledge and leadership skills I have gained over decades of public service to make our government work better.”

The auditor’s office is charged with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. Bump said her first order of business is to complete an audit of her own office, the results of which she expects to release next week.

She took the oath on a Bible held by her mother, Ruth, and administered by Governor Deval Patrick, in whose Cabinet she served as secretary of labor and workforce development from 2007 to 2009. She described the experience as emotional.

“I haven’t been this nervous since my wedding,” she said.

Later today, Steve Grossman will take the oath of office as state treasurer, replacing Timothy P. Cahill, who launched an unsuccessful bid for governor. William F. Galvin will also be sworn in again as secretary of state, and Martha Coakley will take the oath again as attorney general.