Press conference at 11:30am at Columbus Circle “3 DOWN, 2 TO GO” SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Asking “What do they have to hide?” Richard J. Brickwedde, a candidate for Onondaga County Comptroller, called for the County Comptroller and the County Executive to release the Comptroller’s audits of the Department of Water Environmental Protection and the County Library System before Election Day. Brickwedde had requested copies of all audits in August and made a follow-up request in October.  In response to the follow-up request, the Comptroller’s office posted three audits on the County website (Purchasing Department, Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare and Insurance Fund), but still has not made available the audits of the Department of Water Environmental Protection and the County Library System.  The three audits finally released last week were dated February 28, 2007, April 10, 2007 and September 28, 2007, respectively. In the 2008 County Budget submitted to the County Legislature, the Comptroller lists as his “2007 accomplishments” the audits of the Department of Water Environmental Protection and the County Library System --yet these audits have not been made public.  Brickwedde said, “I am troubled that these audits have been withheld from the public.”  He suggested that the only reason to hold back completed audits for such an extended period of time prior to the election is that the audits contain issues that the Comptroller does not want discussed during the election campaign.  Brickwedde stated, “If I’m elected Comptroller, I would give agencies fixed reasonable deadlines to respond to audits and then the results would be made public unless the audited agency had a reasonable basis to request more time to respond.”  He reiterated his pledge that when audits are completed they will not just be “hidden in plain sight” on the County’s website, but news releases would be issued to all media with highlights of the audits and press conferences would be held where audit responses merit additional attention.    Brickwedde has also proposed expanding the scope of audits for all agencies to include energy issues and to include environmental issues for appropriate agencies such as Water Environmental Protection.    Richard J. Brickwedde is a local attorney with experience in the public and private sector at the federal, state, and local levels. He is running on the Democratic ticket and is endorsed by the Veterans Party, the Iroquois Chapter of the Sierra Club, Local 747 of the Carpenters Union, and Local 58 of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association.  For more information about his campaign, please visit his website www.brickwedde.org.