By Catherine Martinez
Tina Cannon wants to leave her state in a better condition than she found it in and preserve freedom for future generations. The current State Auditor of Utah never expected to enter government service, but her experience in tax accounting and owning her own business provided the perfect preparation to serve as Utah’s financial watchdog.
“I feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be,” said Auditor Cannon, also a wife and mother of four adult children.
A graduate of Utah State University, Auditor Cannon first studied management accounting before switching to tax accounting. “When you switch from management accounting to tax, you switch from logic and reason to politics—and that led me to be more involved in the political process,” she explained.
After selling her business, Auditor Cannon decided to enter public service at the Office of the State Auditor, later becoming Deputy State Auditor, where she conducted extensive work on the property tax system. When she was elected State Auditor in 2024, she became the first Republican woman to be elected to a statewide office in Utah.
“My opponent outspent me three to one,” she said, talking about the Republican primary. “I ran on the idea that the auditor should be independent and not take endorsements or donations from anyone […] and I beat him by 14 points.”
Transparent Utah
Auditor Cannon is passionate about government transparency and accountability.
“Transparency is a way to mitigate fraud—but also to be accountable to the public for how we use their money,” she said. “This is [the taxpayers’] money. They deserve to know exactly where it went, why it went there.”
That’s why she’s proud of the improvements recently made to Transparent.Utah.gov, an interactive website dedicated to tracking how Utah’s taxpayer money is spent. The website features an animated graphic detailing the state’s revenues and expenditures over the last 20 years. The auditor’s goal was to create a user-friendly and thorough experience, incorporating financial data from over 1,800 government entities across the state.
“We also opened a Transparent Utah room with two computers and invited the public to come during business hours,” adding that a member of the staff will even help members of the public use it.
Recently, a citizen reached out with a hypothesis that education administrator salaries were rising faster than those of teachers—but he requested to see the data to know if he was correct.
“I told him we’ll run the information and create a dashboard for you so you can see it. […] Sure enough, his hypothesis was right,” Auditor Cannon said, noting that they’ve named the dashboard after him. “I’ve promised people as I’ve traveled the state, that if they have a great idea that we have not thought of, we’ll create a dashboard and we’ll illustrate it.”
It’s all part of the auditor’s goal to keep Utah’s government accountable, working for the good of the people, and spending taxpayer money wisely.
“I like the James Madison quote from Federalist 51, ‘If men were angels, no government would be necessary […] In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.’ I feel like that’s where we come in, is the control itself,” she said.
Advice to Women
She also offers advice for women who may want to pursue a similar path through public service—get involved in local government.
“If you really want to see what will impact your life the most, you get involved in local government. You can have a bigger impact in local government than you can federally because it’s so broken,” she said. “Where change can happen is in local government.”
“I tell people all the time that when good people don’t get involved, other people do,” she continued. “So, we need normal, everyday citizens who care passionately about where the money they earned actually went. It takes citizens being actively aware and involved to keep the government accountable.”
She also recommends books that expand knowledge about individual liberty and the proper role of government, noting that Friedrich Hayek’s classic The Road to Serfdom helped shape her views.
Auditor Cannon is making a difference in her state by leading the charge for greater financial accountability. It’s a testament to the positive impact women in leadership can make on their communities by championing accountability and stewardship in the public square.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Catherine is a full-time copywriter for a nonprofit organization and a freelance writer. She spends her days writing, chasing toddlers and learning how to master her money. Catherine lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and their two young children.
