Fern’s Bio
Fern Shubert is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive experience in conducting and supervising audits. She has shown she knows how to “Follow the money.”
She is also a writer, a former town manager, state Representative and state Senator, and was a candidate for Governor in 2004. Her views on policy issues are a matter of record, but she plans to focus her campaign on financial issues, her extensive experience in solving financial puzzles, and her willingness to act as the eyes and ears of the public.
Fern was among the first to raise warnings about Jim Black and Mike Easley, and the record now proves that her warnings were valid. She raised warnings about the dangers of hedge funds long before Bernie Madoff proved how easily they could be used to defraud the public. She has a proven ability to spot problems and propose viable solutions.
And Fern is willing to state the facts, even when pressure is brought to bear. She was the only member of the 2001 House of Representatives who never voted for Jim Black for Speaker, and she stood by that position for several difficult years before the problems in the House became better known to the public.
Fern graduated from Duke University (Phi Beta Kappa, Magna cum Laude) and passed the CPA exam before even graduating. Because of her profession, she has been exposed to all types and sizes of businesses, non-profits and governmental agencies. Her experience and training give her a unique ability to understand the broad range of activities that are part of our state’s governmental activities.
In 1997 she won the Accountant Advocate of the Year Award from the US Small Business Administration at the State, Regional & National levels, recognizing her as the Accountant who did the most for small business in the whole country. She has also won the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Businesses (The highest honor NFIB bestows on a state legislator . . .). She even won the 1996 NCEITA 21 Award for Government Service from the NC Electronics & Information Technology Association for coming up with a unique solution to an accounting problem that was facing the industry. 1996 was the first year this award was given and she is one of the very few Representatives ever to receive it.
Fern served three terms in the house (95-96, 97-98, 01-02) before being elected to the Senate. Her fellow Republican Senators elected her Senate Republican Whip as a freshman Senator in recognition of her many accomplishments in the House.
One of her proudest accomplishments, and one that helped influence her to seek public office, was helping the Town of Marshville when its leaders told her that the Town was being systematically overcharged for services by the County. She accepted a challenge no one else was willing to tackle and proved that the books were indeed being cooked. Based on her work, the Town received a refund of almost half a million dollars and a new contract with the county. Fern has a real understanding of the importance of honest accounting in providing cost-effective government services, and the damage that can be done by misstating facts.
If you want an auditor who is able and willing to follow the facts wherever they lead, help elect Fern Shubert State Auditor.