A local accountant was honored for his decades of service to Indiana taxpayers.
Charlie Pride Sr. retired in 2014 as office supervisor of cities, towns and libraries at the Indiana State Board of Accounts, where he started working in 1978. The organization audits local governments to ensure that the money they spend matches the budgets they make public.
Earlier this month, he received the Sagamore of the Wabash award. He was nominated for the award by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, an organization that advocates for municipalities with state and federal lawmakers.
Pride spent many years field auditing, which involves hours of painstaking research, combing through financial records to ensure everything is in order.
“Field auditors go into the governmental units and check the books to make sure they’re reporting correctly to make sure they’re not stealing. They do a lot of double-checking,” said Pride’s son, Charlie Pride Jr., who also works for the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
“I think he’s very dedicated to taxpayers. People he served with throughout the years said he’s very reliable and answered questions and followed up on them. He was very reliable and very entertaining at meetings too,” Charlie Pride Jr. said.
Those who have worked with him over the years said Pride went out of his way to answer questions and ensure that municipalities were responsible to the people they served.
“Charlie Pride has been a true public servant,” said Jennifer Simmons, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.
“Charlie’s job was first and foremost to provide accountability. However, he also provided sound guidance and a listening ear to municipal finance officers. His wisdom and thoughtfulness was always appreciated, whether it was what you wanted to hear or not.”
The association wanted to be sure Pride was honored with the state’s highest award for his service to state and local government in Indiana, she said.
Pride lives in Bargersville with his wife, Cheryl. They have three children and four grandchildren.
