Nevada’s controller wants an Inspector General to follow your tax dollars, and he’s putting it front and center in his re-election pitch.
A Funny Ad With a Serious Point
Nevada Controller Andy Matthews rolled out his second TV ad on Monday. It’s called “Power Query.” It runs on digital and streaming services as part of a six-figure statewide ad buy that started last month.
The ad has a light touch. His wife, Valerie, says she’s proud of him for keeping his promises. Then she jokes that she wishes he’d talk about something else.
The ad closes with a simple line: “You can never have too much transparency.”
Inspector General
In Monday’s announcement, Matthews said:
“I’m going to continue my fight to create an Office of Inspector General so Nevadans can know their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent appropriately.”
Matthews first pitched the idea in 2025 as Assembly Bill 33. The office could audit any group that gets state money, including agencies, local governments, contractors, and nonprofits.
Matthews says Nevada can already audit agencies that get state funds, but it doesn’t do forensic auditing.
He told lawmakers that 35 other states have inspectors general, and he based much of his bill on the one in Massachusetts. One witness at the hearing testified that for every dollar spent on an Inspector General, the public would get about $16 back. That claim is worth checking. But it’s a big number.
Matthews has a record to point to here.
When he ran in 2022, he promised to put the state’s checkbook online. He kept that promise in his first year.
The site, checkbook.nv.gov, lets anyone see state spending in real time. Before that, most of us had no easy way to see where our money went. That’s the kind of sunlight voters have asked for over many years, and he delivered it.
What Critics Say
At the 2025 hearing, groups for Nevada’s counties and cities called the bill “redundant” and “duplicative.” They said the state already has auditors. O
Others questioned where the office would live.
The bill placed it under the controller. One committee member asked, “What happens if the controller needed to be audited?” Matthews said he wasn’t set on keeping the office under the controller.
The bill died in committee in April 2025. Matthews’ campaign says legislative Democrats blocked it.
His Democratic opponent, Michael MacDougall, has a different complaint. He has criticized Matthews for releasing the state’s annual financial report late. That report shows the state’s full money picture. Nevada didn’t release its 2023 report until August 2025, 777 days after the year ended. That made Nevada the last state to file.
Read More:
Late Reports, Smart Solutions: Why Nevada Needs Andy Matthews
Matthews has explained the delays.
He told lawmakers the team that builds the report has seen 100 percent turnover since 2019. He also said some agencies had gotten used to sending their numbers late. He has pointed to a switch to a new digital system, a problem other states, including California, have faced. And the reports had been getting slower for years before he took office.
Matthews isn’t brushing it off.
“You are playing with fire if you don’t address these issues,” he told the financial news outlet The Bond Buyer.
What Comes Next
Election Day is November 3. Matthews has raised more than $435,000. His campaign says that’s the most of any Controller candidate in state history. He has said that if re-elected, creating the Inspector General office will be a top priority in his second term.
Whether the bill passes in 2027 depends on who runs the Legislature. If Democrats keep control of both chambers, it faces the same uphill climb.
Read our prior coverage:
Nevada Controller Andy Matthews Reports Record-Smashing Fundraising Haul in Re-Election Bid
What You Can Do
First, visit checkbook.nv.gov yourself. Poke around. See where the money goes. You might be surprised.
Second, ask your state lawmakers where they stand on an Inspector General. Ask before November, while they’re asking for your vote.
Third, if the bill comes back in 2027, speak up. Send a public comment or testify. Committee hearings are where good ideas live or die.
At the end of the day, it’s simple. It’s our money. We have every right to know where it goes.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
