A sketch of gunslinging Western icon John Wayne hangs prominently in the most unlikely of places in Salt Lake County government: the Auditor's Office.

And yet, it seems to fit the man who has taken the reins of this often-obscure agency.

Trial attorney Greg Hawkins has spent his first two months as county auditor fighting to keep two powerful political forces, the mayor and County Council, from eroding his authority over accounting, payroll and internal audits.

Despite his cordial tone — cool, steady and occasionally sprinkled with dry humor — he's a tough talker who calls "poppycock" on colleagues he doesn't agree with and threatens to do battle if his office isn't treated fairly.

"There has been a concerted effort for years to dismantle the Auditor's Office," Hawkins says. "But [backers of that effort] have pounced at the wrong time. All of a sudden there is a strong auditor in place who understands the law."

Hawkins is no accountant. He doesn't pretend to be.

"I can't put two and two together," he jokes, "without coming up with three or five."

He's an attorney who has spent much of his career arguing cases ranging from contested adoptions to trademark infringement to medical malpractice.

But he's also a lover of politics. He received a bachelor's degree in political philosophy from Brigham Young University and mounted unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate, Congress and lieutenant governor. The Gettysburg Address hangs on his wall. A bust of Abraham Lincoln stands on his bookshelf. References to James Madison and the Virginia Plan slip off his tongue.

What you won't find in Hawkins' résumé is a financial certificate or degree.

Reared outside of Utah by an Air Force father from Provo and a mother from Murray, he migrated to the Beehive State as a young missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He earned a degree in law — not accounting — from the University of Utah.

The Auditor's Office has enough CPAs, Hawkins says frankly. What it needs now is a someone with a legal background. Indeed, Hawkins takes office at a tumultuous time.

Not long ago, the County Council narrowly rejected a plan to strip away some of the auditor's budgetary powers. While some officials argued the county could save money by not having two agencies — the auditor and mayor — prepare sometimes-overlapping budget documents, others feared the move would eliminate important checks and balances.

The auditor's duties came under scrutiny again in 2010. The council called for a gradual transition of payroll into the Mayor's Office and asked for further investigation into whether the council should have more control over internal auditing.

Now, more questions have arisen about whether some accounting functions should be moved out of the office to keep the auditor independent from the financial transactions his agency should be auditing.

"When we have someone who is going to audit what we do," says Chief Administrative Officer Doug Willmore, "we don't want them to have a vested interest."

But Hawkins — who as a BYU undergraduate marched to the administration office to demand the school lower the flag to half-staff to honor the deceased John Wayne in 1979 — has proven he won't back down from what he considers a power grab.

He's decidedly different from his predecessor: the soft-spoken, almost bookish, Jeff Hatch.

"They could not create a war that is bloody enough to dismantle us," Hawkins says. "That is not me being ignorant, arrogant or blood thirsty. I'm just saying, we know what our functions are."

It's a bold tack for a man just two months into his first elective office.

Despite his previous political exploits — he nearly forced U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch into a primary in 2000 — Hawkins hadn't won elective office until last November. He came close a year ago when Republican County Councilman Jeff Allen resigned early. But even though he was named one of the GOP's favorites for Allen's seat, Hawkins lost a coin toss for the party's nod. The post ultimately went to now-Councilman Steve DeBry.

Hawkins went on to defeat Jeff Hatch, the Democratic incumbent, in the 2010 auditor's race. The contest remained too close to call until after the canvass was complete with a winning margin of about 1 percent.

Republican Councilman Max Burdick supported Hawkins' run, describing him as a man of "great integrity" who had served the GOP well. Now, the two men are on opposite sides of a sometimes-fiery debate.

"It appears, sadly so, that our efforts at civility and cooperation have been an exercise in futility," Hawkins wrote to his Republican colleague as the debate intensified over the auditor's powers, according to a letter obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.

"One side of me says, 'He is the auditor. He is going to fight the fight and stick up for what he thinks is right and that is OK,' " Burdick says. "But there is a side of me that says, 'If you don't think you can't be examined, that is the first problem.' "

Hawkins has plenty of allies within his office. David Beck, director of the tax division and a 37-year veteran of the office, applauds his new boss' approach. He says it is a "welcome" sight to "see someone with his courage and conviction stand up for what is happening and preserve what I think is a very critical role of the Auditor's Office."

Back in his office, Hawkins glances up at a painting on his wall of a sea battle between British and American forces. He repeats a phrase that accompanied that piece of art.

"When you see a good fight," he says, "get into it." —

Gregory Hawkins

Age • 53

Party • Republican

Education • Bachelor's degree in political philosophy from Brigham Young University; law degree from the U.

Occupation • Former trial attorney for Hawkins & Sorensen

Political experience • Candidate for U.S. Senate, House and lieutenant governor; GOP's No. 2 pick to replace Republican County Councilman Jeff Allen, who resigned in 2009; frequent speaker at universities, schools, churches and service clubs

Other background • Spent 15 years as an instructor and administrator in the LDS Church's education system

Interesting fact • He's a prolific writer who has published dozens of articles on topics ranging from preparing living trusts to helping teens find jobs.