AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)   The founding director of the Maine Legislature’s government watchdog agency says she is leaving the position this summer.

The Bangor Daily News reports Beth Ashcroft is leaving the job in August. The agency, Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, is in the midst of an investigation into Maine’s child welfare system.

Ashcroft says she and her husband have been talking about wintering in Arizona and staying in Maine part-time. She’ll stick around long enough to find and train a replacement.

OPEGA is controlled by a bipartisan legislative panel called the Government Oversight Committee. Ashcroft was hired for the job 13 years ago after having served as an auditor for Central Maine Power.

OPEGA was authorized recently to investigate the welfare system after recent cases involving high-profile deaths of children.