Sonntag was first elected to public office in 1978 as Pierce CountyClerk, working as the administrative officer for the Superior Courts. On November 4, 1986, he was elected to the office of Pierce County Auditor, an office his father, Jack W. Sonntag, had held from 1948 to 1969. Following the end of his second term, Sonntag was elected Washington State Auditor on November 3, 1992. He was re-elected four times, most recently in 2008 with 70 percent of the vote. Sonntag is a Certified Government Financial Manager, a designation formally recognized by seven states since its inception in 1994. He has been a member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, State Productivity Board and the National State Auditors Association's Performance AuditTask Force. Although four of the fourteen members of his executive team at the State Auditor's Office are CPAs, the fact he is not a CPA has drawn criticism from some of his constituents.
Tenure
One of the most publicized issues involving the Auditor's Office in 2006 was its performance audit of the Washington State Department of Transportation. Sonntag's office examined the WSDOT's inventory and project management, as well as its overall administration and overhead. Always a hot topic of debate, traffic congestion in Seattle caused many commuters to look more closely at what was being done to alleviate the problem. One sign that legislators were attempting to address the problem came in the form of SB 6839. The State Auditor was granted legal authority to conduct performance audits of transportation-related agencies on June 7, 2006, the effective date of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6839. Section 5.2.c of the bill states, "Fair, independent, comprehensive performance audits of transportation-related agencies overseen by the elected state auditor are essential to improving the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of the state's transportation system." Despite the bill's passage, Sonntag faced resistance from the transportation committee as he moved forward with the audit.
2012 gubernatorial campaign
On June 13, 2011, Sonntag announced he was considering a run for the 2012 Gubernatorial race. However, on July 5 Sonntag said he had decided not to run for Governor: “The Office of State Auditor continues to be a good fit and the place where I can best contribute and focus on my values.” On June 11, 2012, Sonntag endorsed Republican Attorney GeneralRob McKenna for Governor and became chairman of Democrats for Rob.
Retirement and successor
In September 2011, Sonntag announced he would retire from the office of State Auditor: "In the past week, I made a difficult decision not to seek re-election as Washington State Auditor in 2012. It was a tough call, but it is the right decision. At the end of my current term, I will have served 20 years in this Office and 40 years in public service – 35 in elected office. Based on what we have accomplished and what we will continue to do on behalf of citizens, the 2012 election is the right time for the Office to transition to new leadership." He was succeeded by Troy Kelley.
Recognition
On May 7, 1999, the Municipal League of King County awarded Sonntag the Warren G. Magnuson Award for "implementing performance measures and the performance audit as constructive management tools for state and local governments, allowing them to operate more efficiently and be more accountable to their constituencies."
