State Auditor Beth Wood, who was convicted of hit-and-run, to seek reelection

Beth Wood, who was convicted of a hit-and-run charge after crashing a state-owned vehicle, will seek a fifth term as North Carolina’s state auditor.

“I absolutely plan to run for reelection,” she told WRAL Thursday when asked if she would seek reelection.

Wood, a Democrat, hadn’t previously revealed any plans for her career since news of the charges emerged in December. As she faced calls to resign from the state Republican Party earlier this year, Wood said she planned to stay in her position and carry out her duties.

Wood was convicted in March of misdemeanor hit-and-run resulting in property damage after the downtown Raleigh crash. She said had been attending a holiday gathering on Dec. 8 before crashing a state-issued car into a parked vehicle on Salisbury Street near Hargett Street. She said previously she had consumed two glasses of wine at the party but was not impaired at the time of the crash.

Wood told WRAL Thursday that the conviction doesn’t change her effectiveness as state auditor.

“I have not let this situation define me,” she said. “I have taken responsibility both financially and personally. I pled guilty to the charge. … Nothing about that accident has affected what I do, how good I am at it.”

Wood’s office acts as a watchdog, examining financial affairs and regulatory processes of state government agencies. It also monitors other parts of state government, including computer systems, and it produces special studies requested by the state legislature, among other duties.

Political insiders have said the conviction may have damaged her trust with North Carolina voters. Wood told WRAL she hopes voters look at her professional record, rather than her traffic record.

“Why trust me? Look at my track record. Look at the audits that we have put out that affect the citizens of North Carolina.”

Her comments Thursday came in an interview about a new state audit report describing a phishing scam that targeted the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, resulting in $165,431 to a fraudulent bank account. All but $1,114 was recovered.

Wood, who is in her fourth term, became the first woman to hold the state auditor’s position in 2009, after working in the office and defeating her boss in an election.

It took her more than a month to publicly acknowledge the crash. It was only after news broke about the charge five days later that she issued a statement and apologized for it. The person whose car Wood crashed into didn't learn that she was the driver until weeks after the incident. And, prior to her court date, she avoided answering questions about the incident.

Until the news emerged, Wood enjoyed one of the best reputations in state government – even drawing praise from across the political aisle.

“She's the best state auditor we've ever had,” Cherie Berry, a Republican former state labor commissioner, told WRAL after Wood’s crash.

Wood said Thursday that she maintained a good relationship with Republican and Democratic legislators throughout her career.

“I am human, and in all of the campaigning that I've done, I've never said I was perfect,” Wood said Thursday. “And, again, I made a split decision in a matter of seconds, and it was the wrong one.”