State auditor Sawyer resigns after three months

State Auditor Dwayne Sawyer has resigned—just three months after he accepted the position—saying that due to “family and personal concerns” it would be best for him to step down.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence named Sawyer to the post in August after a long search that included interviews with more than a dozen candidate. The appointment made Sawyer—formerly the president of the Brownsburg Town Council—the first black Republican to serve in a statewide office.

The governor said Tuesday that he had accepted Sawyer’s resignation.

“I respect his decision to step aside,” Pence said. “Hoosiers can be assured that Mr. Sawyer’s resignation had nothing to do with his fiduciary responsibilities for the state or his execution of his duties as auditor.”

In his letter of resignation, Sawyer said, “I have come to the conclusion that it will be in the best interests of my family and the people of Indiana whom I have been honored to serve that I resign from the office of Indiana auditor of state.”

In August, the governor said he had been searching for four specific qualities—professional competence, experience in public office, a history of political activism and the character to oversee the state’s finances with integrity—when he named Sawyer to the post.

He had said then that Sawyer was the strongest candidate among the many he had interviewed.

“It was a pretty tough choice,” Pence said in August. “We had some outstanding men and women that we interviewed from all over the state of Indiana for this position. But again and again it was Dwayne Sawyer who emerged as the best choice for all the people of Indiana.”

Sawyer has private sector experience in financial systems, information technology and project management. He had most recently worked in software development for Positron. Sawyer also worked on financial management solutions while employed by Roche Diagnostics, Dow AgroSciences and Eli Lilly and Co.