Top Comptroller Job Goes to a Politico

Take note, ye aspiring young CPA's and career track accounting professionals. The top job in New York state has gone to a former Assemblymember Tom DiNapoli, a non-accountant. It will come as no surprise to seasoned big-organization technocrats that there is a little-publicized inverse relationship between between qualifications and high office.

As Karen DeWitt reported,

DiNapoli's own appointment was controversial, and generated a fight between Governor Eliot Spitzer, and leaders of the legislature. Spitzer had wanted an outsider with auditing experience for the job. The legislature reneged on an earlier agreement with the governor, and chose one of its own for the job. The move led to Spitzer castigating DiNapoli as "unqualified".

Less obvious is the public's acceptance of uncertified professionals for most specializations, except, so far, physicians.