Nicole Galloway
38th Auditor of Missouri
In office
April 27, 2015 – January 9, 2023
GovernorJay Nixon
Eric Greitens
Mike Parson
Preceded byTom Schweich
Succeeded byScott Fitzpatrick
Personal details
Born
Nicole Marie Rogge

(1982-06-13) June 13, 1982
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJon Galloway
Children3
EducationMissouri University of Science and Technology (BS)
University of Missouri (MBA)

Nicole Marie Galloway (née Rogge; born June 13, 1982)[1] is an American accountant and politician who served as the state auditor of Missouri from 2015 to 2023. She was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent Republican Mike Parson.[2]

Galloway was appointed to the office of State Auditor by Governor Jay Nixon on April 14, 2015, following the death of Tom Schweich in February 2015.[3] She was elected to a full term in the 2018 election.[4] In 2018, following the electoral defeat of U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to Josh Hawley, Galloway became both the only female state officeholder and the only Democratic statewide elected official in Missouri.[5]

On June 4, 2021, Galloway announced that she would not run for reelection as State Auditor in the 2022 election.[6]

Early life and education

Galloway grew up in Fenton, Missouri[7] and graduated high school from Ursuline Academy in Oakland, Missouri.[8] She holds a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and economics from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. During college, she was a member of the S&T soccer team, member of a service organization, and was a server at Applebee's.[9]

She has a master's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri. She is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner.[10]

Private sector career

Before working in government, Galloway worked at the public accounting firm of Brown Smith Wallace in Creve Coeur, Missouri. At Brown Smith Wallace, she served as an auditor of national and international Fortune 500 companies and insurance companies. She has worked at Allstate Insurance as an actuarial analyst and at Shelter Insurance's Columbia headquarters as a corporate auditor.[11]

Galloway cited her experience in the private sector as key to being a "strong, independent watchdog for Missourians" in her role as auditor of Missouri.[12]

She served as secretary/treasurer of the Missouri Technology Corporation, helping invest in entrepreneurs to create jobs for Missourians. She held the same role for the Missouri County Employees' Retirement Fund to safeguard retirement benefits of 16,000 Missouri residents in 111 counties across the state and spearheaded the initiative to ensure equally protected benefits of county employees in same-sex marriages.[12]

Boone County Treasurer

Galloway served as treasurer of Boone County, Missouri from April 2011 until her appointment as state auditor four years later. As county treasurer, she managed a $100 million investment portfolio and issued all general obligation and revenue bonds for the county. Galloway developed a debt issuance policy in 2012 that provided increased transparency. In 2011, Boone County became the first Missouri county to maintain an online search and claim system for unclaimed property which oversaw the distribution of approximately $20,000 in unclaimed property in 2014.[13]

During her service as County Treasurer, Galloway served on the Missouri Technology Corporation and Missouri County Employees’ Retirement Fund.[14] As a board member for retirement fund board she was the leader for expanding benefits to members’ same-sex spouses.[15]

Following Galloway's resignation as Boone County Treasurer on April 27, 2015, Kay Murray was appointed as interim County Treasurer.[16]

Missouri State Auditor

Tenure

Galloway said that her goals as State Auditor of Missouri are to hold her office and others to the highest professional standards and being accountable to Missourians.[17]

Upon taking the oath of office in 2015, Galloway said one of her first priorities as State Auditor of Missouri would be cybersecurity by making protection of Missourians' private data part of audit procedures for the State Auditor's Office.[18]

As State Auditor of Missouri, Galloway managed about 115 employees. The state auditor's staff is made up of CPAs, with about 65 percent of all audit staff having at least one professional license, certification or advanced degree. Employment as an auditor with the State Auditor's Office qualifies as mandatory experience required for licensure by the Missouri State Board of Accountancy as a certified public accountant.[19]

Additional responsibilities of the State Auditor's Office included serving as the independent, professional watchdog for government. The State Auditor's Office works to ensure the proper use of public funds and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Missouri government by performing audits of state agencies, boards and commissions, the circuit court system, the counties in Missouri that do not have a county auditor, and other political subdivisions upon petition by the voters. These audits examine financial accountability, waste, opportunities for fraud, and whether government organizations and programs are achieving their purposes and operating economically and efficiently.[19]

Callaway County

On September 24, 2018, Auditor Galloway released an audit showing $300,000 missing from the Callaway County Collector's Office from January 2016 to March 2018. The former county collector pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling the funds.[20]

On March 4, 2019, former Callaway County Collector Pamela Oestreich was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison without parole for embezzling more than $300,000 from taxpayers in Callaway County.[21]

Putnam County Hospital

In 2017, Auditor Galloway released an audit that uncovered a billing scheme in which Putnam County Memorial Hospital billed insurance companies for lab services conducted across the country. The questionable activity began in September 2016, after the Putnam County Hospital Board hired David Byrns and his company, Hospital Partners Inc., to take over day-to-day management of the hospital. The auditor's report uncovered $90 million in inappropriate lab billings. The findings of the audit were covered by national news outlets and resulted in calls for a federal investigation into hospital billing schemes.[22]

Following the audit, dozens of major insurers banded together to file lawsuits against affiliated hospitals in Missouri and other states, demanding hundreds of millions in restitution. The lawsuits describe the lab-billing operation as a "widespread fraudulent scheme".[23]

Audit of City of Viburnum

On June 21, 2017, Auditor Galloway released an audit showing that the city clerk of Viburnum, Missouri stole $100,000.[24] Dana Mayberry served as the Viburnum City Clerk for 14 years. The city identified inconsistencies in accounts she oversaw after she lost her reelection bid in April 2016. At that time, most of the city and municipal division records disappeared in the Iron County town of less than 1,000 residents. Mayberry admitted to stealing city funds, after which the mayor notified the State Auditor's Office. An audit began in August 2016 after the Viburnum Board of Aldermen authorized one. The examination began to uncover a scheme in which the former clerk adjusted customer utility accounts and then destroyed records and other evidence. The former city Clerk was charged with receiving stolen property, a Class B Felony as a result of the audit.[25] On August 15, 2018, the former city Clerk was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay the City of Viburnum $100,000.[26]

Missouri Alliance for Freedom v. Galloway

In May 2017, the Missouri Alliance for Freedom, a Republican-aligned 501(c)(4) group, submitted three open-records requests to the Office of State Auditor. The requests sought a wide variety of communications, including those specifically concerning the auditor's scrutiny of the Missouri Department of Revenue.[27][28][29] The State Auditor's Office produced approximately 47,000 pages at no charge to Missouri Alliance for Freedom, including 254 screenshots of text messages to and from the state auditor.[28][30]

In 2017, the Missouri Alliance for Freedom sued the State Auditor's Office[31] and filed a complaint with Republican Missouri attorney general Josh Hawley alleging that Galloway "unlawfully withheld public records from her state-provided cell phone."[29] In February 2018, Hawley's office issued a report that found Galloway complied with the Missouri Sunshine Law.[32] The same month, the judge dismissed the majority of the claims against the State Auditor's Office, and ordered the Missouri Alliance for Freedom to re-plead its claims.[33] In January 2019, following a trial, Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem ruled against the Missouri Alliance for Freedom on all claims, ending the suit with a judgment in favor of Galloway.[28][34] The judge concluded that the State Auditor's Office had made "an enormous good-faith effort to comply with several very large public records requests" and found that the office's records custodian did not apparently realize (until it was too late) that the phones issued by the office to Galloway and to employees automatically deleted text messages after 30 days.[28] The Missouri Alliance for Freedom chose not to appeal.[28]

Elections

2018 Missouri State Auditor election

Galloway was appointed to the post of Missouri State Auditor by Governor Jay Nixon in 2015 following the death of Republican Auditor Tom Schweich. She won election to a full term as Missouri State Auditor on November 6, 2018. She opted not to run for reelection in 2022 and her term expired in January 2023, leaving the Democrats with no statewide elected offices in Missouri, when Republican Scott Fitzpatrick was sworn in as State Auditor.

Missouri State Auditor election, 2018[35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Nicole Galloway 1,209,881 50.41%
Republican Saundra McDowell 1,070,701 44.61%
Libertarian Sean O'Toole 51,304 2.14%
Constitution Jacob Luetkemeyer 50,951 2.12%
Green Don Fitz 17,106 0.72%
Write-in 4 0.00%
Total votes 2,399,947 100.00%
Democratic hold

2020 gubernatorial campaign

In August 2019, Galloway announced that she was seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 Missouri gubernatorial election and officially won the primary on August 4, 2020.[36] Galloway faced incumbent Republican governor Mike Parson in what was anticipated to be a close race.

Parson, a former lieutenant governor who assumed the post following the resignation of Eric Greitens in June, 2018, announced in September 2019 that he would seek a full term as governor.[37] In her campaign announcement video, Galloway emphasized her record in exposing public corruption, pledged to reduce the influence of special interest groups on the Missouri legislature, and attacked the Parson administration for its efforts to curb the effects of a government transparency initiative that was passed by statewide ballot in 2018.[38]

At the time, Galloway was the only Democratic politician holding statewide office in Missouri,[39] as well as the only female officeholder.[40] She lost the election to incumbent Republican governor Mike Parson by nearly 17% (almost half a million votes).[41] Had she won the election, she would had become the state's first female governor.[42]

Endorsements

Galloway's endorsements included former president Barack Obama,[43] former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden,[44] U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren,[45] New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy,[46] U.S. Representative from Missouri's 5th District Emanuel Cleaver,[47] Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas, former Georgia House of Representatives minority leader Stacey Abrams.[48] Three famous St. Louis natives also campaigned with her: model Karlie Kloss,[49] Bravo host Andy Cohen, and journalist Derek Blasberg.[50]

Her endorsements from national organizations or state chapters of national organizations included Sierra Club,[51] EMILY's List,[52] Planned Parenthood,[53] Missouri AFL-CIO,[54] End Citizens United,[55] Let America Vote,[55] the National Women's Political Caucus,[56] and the Missouri Women's Leadership Council.[57]

The Editorial Boards at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch,[58] Missouri's most circulated newspaper;[59] The Kansas City Star, Missouri's second most circulated newspaper;[60] and The St. Louis American, a newspaper that serves the St. Louis-area African-American community, all endorsed Galloway.[61]

Results

Missouri gubernatorial election, 2020[62][63]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Parson (incumbent) 1,720,202 57.11% +5.97%
Democratic Nicole Galloway 1,225,771 40.69% -4.88%
Libertarian Rik Combs 49,067 1.63% +0.16%
Green Jerome Bauer 17,234 0.57% -0.18%
Write-in 13 0.00% ±0.00%
Total votes 3,012,287 100.0%
Turnout 3,026,028 70.07%
Registered electors 4,318,758
Republican hold

Personal life

A native of Fenton, Missouri, Galloway lives in Columbia, Missouri with her husband, Jon Galloway, and their three sons.[64] Jon served as press secretary to then-State Treasurer Clint Zweifel.[65][8] In August 2016, she announced that she was pregnant with her third child, due in January 2017, and was the first statewide officeholder in Missouri history to become pregnant while in office.[66] Her third son was born on January 6, 2017.[67]

Galloway has been a board member for the Heart of Missouri United Way and the finance committee of the Columbia Interfaith Resource Center. She also has been a mentor for children at Discovering Options in St. Louis and is a member of her local Rotary.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "State Auditors Historical Listing | Nicole Galloway, CPA". Auditor.mo.gov. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Galloway plays up 'watchdog' role in video announcing run for Missouri governor". Kansas City Star. August 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Nixon picks Boone County treasurer for state auditor job". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ Erickson, Kurt. "Democrat Galloway fends off GOP challenger in race for Missouri auditor". stltoday.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  5. ↑ Erickson, Kurt. "Democrat Galloway fends off GOP challenger in race for Missouri auditor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  6. ↑ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (June 4, 2021). "Nicole Galloway will not seek re-election, other political office in 2022". The Missouri Times. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ Phillips, Nicholas (February 8, 2020). "Can State Auditor Nicole Galloway become Missouri's next governor?". www.stlmag.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Notable Alumnae - Ursuline Academy | Girls Catholic High School Kirkwood". Ursuline Academy | Girls Catholic High School Kirkwood. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ Bodine, Arielle (December 8, 2015). "For Nicole Galloway, a distinguished spot". Discover Missouri S&T. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Biography | Missouri State Auditor". Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Nicole Galloway, CPA". app.auditor.mo.gov. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 "Biography | Missouri State Auditor". auditor.mo.gov. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Galloway plans to bring innovation, energy to auditor role". Columbia Daily Tribune. April 26, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ "20 Under 40: Nicole Galloway". Columbia Business Times. December 23, 2014. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Pension system for most county employees will recognize gay marriages". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 9, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  16. ↑ Schmitt, William (April 23, 2015). "Boone County ready to name Kay Murray interim treasurer while awaiting governor's appointment". The Columbia Missourian.
  17. ↑ Mannies, Jo (April 15, 2015). "Nixon taps Boone County official to be new state auditor". KRCU 90.9. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Galloway sworn in as state auditor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 27, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  19. 1 2 "MO State Auditor's Office". Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Ex-Callaway County Collector admits to embezzlement". 93.9 The Eagle. September 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Former Callaway County collector sentenced for embezzling almost $300,000". Columbia Missourian. March 4, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Auditor issues report on Putnam hospital". Fulton Sun. July 12, 2018.
  23. ↑ "The collapse of a hospital empire — and the small towns left in the wreckage". St. Louis Post Dispatch. August 25, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Small town Missouri city clerk accused of stealing $100,000". Missourinet. June 21, 207.
  25. ↑ "Audit shows improvement for city of Viburnum after former clerk charged for stealing". KFVS TV. June 19, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Former Viburnum City Clerk Sentenced for Felony". KREI Radio. August 15, 2018. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  27. ↑ "GOP-leaning group files open records lawsuit against Missouri auditor, senator". Stltoday.com. July 19, 2017.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 Nicholas Phillips, State Auditor Nicole Galloway become Missouri's next governor?, St. Louis Magazine (February 8, 2020).
  29. 1 2 Schmitt, Will. "Did Missouri auditor allow her text messages about government business to be deleted?". Springfield News-Leader.
  30. ↑ "FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW and JUDGMENT" (PDF). Case.net. January 28, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Arguments made in lawsuit alleging Missouri Auditor Galloway violated Sunshine Law". Missourinet. August 29, 2018.
  32. ↑ "FINAL REPORT: AGO INQUIRY INTO SUNSHINE LAW COMPLAINT FILED BY MISSOURI ALLIANCE FOR FREEDOM" (PDF). Missouri Attorney General's Office. February 1, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Missouri Alliance for Freedom v Galloway order". State Auditor's Office. February 7, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Judgement" (PDF). Case.net. January 28, 2019.
  35. ↑ Ashcroft, John R. (November 30, 2018). "State of Missouri - Election Night Results - General Election, November 06, 2018". Missouri Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Galloway, Parson win nominations for Missouri governor's race". ksdk.com. Associated Press. August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  37. ↑ Jack Suntrup. "Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a cattle-farming former sheriff, announces bid for 4-year term". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Democrat Galloway launches Missouri gubernatorial campaign". AP NEWS. August 12, 2019.
  39. ↑ Fenske, Sarah. "Nicole Galloway Wins Missouri Auditor Race, a Lone Democrat in a Red State". RiverFront Times. RiverFront Times. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  40. ↑ Fenske, Sarah. "Missouri Women Are Totally Underrepresented in Politics". Riverfront Times. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  41. ↑ Ashcroft, John R. (August 12, 2020). "State of Missouri - Election Night Results - General Election, November 03, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  42. ↑ Becker, Amanda. "Nicole Galloway wants to be Missouri's first female governor". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  43. ↑ Suntrup, Jack. "Obama endorses Galloway, Schupp in their campaigns against Missouri Republicans". STLtoday.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  44. ↑ Producer, Stephanie Baumer, Digital Content. "Biden endorses Nicole Galloway for Missouri governor". KMOV.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  45. ↑ "Endorsements | Warren Democrats". elizabethwarren.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  46. ↑ Gerber, Cameron (October 16, 2020). "Galloway the 'clear choice,' says New Jersey governor". The Missouri Times. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  47. ↑ "Nicole Galloway for Missouri". Nicole Galloway for Missouri. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Stacey Abrams". www.facebook.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  49. ↑ "ICYMI: Kansas City Mayor Endorses Nicole Galloway For Governor, Rebuking Parson's COVID-19 Response". Democratic Governors Association. October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  50. ↑ "Nicole Galloway, CPA on Instagram: "You won't wanna miss this: Join me, @bravoandy, @karliekloss, and @derekblasberg on Monday for a virtual grassroots fundraiser for our…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  51. ↑ "2020 Missouri Sierra Club Election Endorsements". Sierra Club. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  52. ↑ Gerber, Cameron (July 24, 2020). "EMILY's List releases 2020 endorsements". The Missouri Times. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  53. ↑ "2020 Endorsements". www.plannedparenthoodaction.org. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  54. ↑ American, Chris King Of The St Louis. "Missouri AFL-CIO endorses Nicole Galloway for Missouri governor". St. Louis American. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  55. 1 2 "Nicole Galloway". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  56. ↑ "Press & Position Statements". ... Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  57. ↑ "| Missouri Women's Leadership Coalition". mowomensleadership.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  58. ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board (October 3, 2020). "Editorial: We recommend Nicole Galloway for Missouri governor". STLtoday.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  59. ↑ "Top 10 Missouri Daily Newspapers by Circulation". Agility PR Solutions. January 29, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  60. ↑ Kansas City Star Editorial Board. "'We Need a Complete Reset': The Star Endorses the Clear Choice for Missouri Governor". Kansas City Star.
  61. ↑ "Yinka Faleti for secretary of state, Nicole Galloway for governor". St. Louis American. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  62. ↑ "All Results State of Missouri - State of Missouri - General Election, November 03, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  63. ↑ "Statistiques" (PDF). www.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2020..
  64. ↑ "Meet Nicole | Nicole Galloway". Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  65. ↑ "Missouri Replaces State Auditor Who Committed Suicide". Governing. April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  66. ↑ Holleman, Joe (August 12, 2016). "Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway making state history". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  67. ↑ "Statement from Auditor Galloway on the birth of her son | Missouri State Auditor". Retrieved July 20, 2020.
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