Mann served on the Highland City Council as a councilman and mayor. He said he enjoyed helping the city improve and wants to do the same for the county.

According to Mann, the county could benefit from moving a bit slower and being more transparent in finance. If elected, Mann plans on incorporating an open house concept, which Highland City Council used while he was mayor, to encourage the public to learn and ask questions about the budget.

“We have local businesses have booths, bouncy houses for kids and we just encourage people to come. We want the parents to come and look at the charts and graphs and talk with the people that are there. I think this is important because when you look at a table of numbers, and you just see a number in a spreadsheet, you can’t just ask why,” Mann said. “By doing it in person, we can address some of those questions and then people can come to council meetings or call their councilman.”

Mann also pledged to alter how audits are written, which he believes would help inform members of the public. He believes they are written for the people being audited, and not for residents to be able to easily digest and understand.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

“We want people to know how we are using our money, and I think the audits should be a part of the budget open house,” he said.

To ensure county departments are functioning at the highest level, Mann plans to seek permission from the county commissioners to run performance audits.

“With a performance audit, I’d be able to ask questions of different departments and I know how they work,” he said. “If I did a performance audit of public works in the county, I could ask to see the maintenance plan. During my time on the council, I ended learning a ton about roads, so I can look at it and say, ‘We’re good, or maybe we can do better here.'”

Mann’s opponent, Rudy Livingston, is currently the budget manager in the county clerk/auditor’s office. Mann said Livingston is doing a great job in his position, and would like him to stay there.

“I think my chances against him are good,” said Mann. “It’s probably the same thing on his side. He’s energetic and really focused on his job, but I bring a different perspective. I just don’t know if much changes if he moves from his position to auditor because he’s already in the system.”

Mann acknowledged he isn’t an account, but he has a firm grasp on budgets from his time as Highland’s mayor and councilman.

“The public will have to decide what they want out of the auditor,” he said. “If you want a focus on improved performance and transparency then elect someone who has held an elected office position.”

As there are no Democrats seeking the office, the winner of the GOP primary for Utah County Auditor will almost certainly hold office. This is the first election for the auditor position as a sole office. The Utah County Commission voted in December 2021 to split the Clerk/Auditor office into two positions.

“I want to focus on the residents, transparency and performance, and not so much the technical aspects of the job. Accounting principles are accounting principles. I like this position because it’s not as visible. It’s more behind the scenes. I won’t be setting policies, but I can influence how budgets are formulated and how the departments operate,” Mann said.