NC Auditor Beth Wood won't seek reelection after all
North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood, who announced in June that she planned to seek a fifth term, told legislators Wednesday that she has changed her mind and won’t run after all.
Wednesday’s announcement, made during a public oversight hearing in the state legislature, comes four months after she told WRAL that she planned to seek reelection in 2024. And it follows her conviction seven months ago of a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge related to a wreck in downtown Raleigh on Dec. 8.
“I'm announcing this afternoon that I am not running for reelection,” Wood told the House Oversight Committee, which was meeting as part of an inquiry into the state unemployment office. “There are some circumstances that are in my life. And I recognize four years from now I will be 74 years old. So if there are some things I want to do. I need to get them done now.”
After making her announcement, Wood told WRAL in an interview that she wants to start a second career, on the public speaking circuit. Another four-year term in office could put a damper on those plans.
“I have wanted to do some public speaking, professionally,” she said. “And if I’m going to do it, now’s the time to do it.”
Wood, a Democrat, 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. Until the news of her wreck emerged, Wood enjoyed one of the best reputations in state government — even drawing praise from across the political aisle.
She said she 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 in court that she consumed two glasses of wine at the party but was not impaired at the time of the crash.
But as Wood dodged questions immediately following news of the charge, support for her dwindled. It took Wood more than a month to publicly acknowledge the crash.The North Carolina Republican Party called on her to resign.
It was unclear which Democrat would seek to fill the vacancy. At least five Republicans have already announced that they would seek the office in 2024.
The auditor’s job is to make sure government programs are using their resources as efficiently as possible while complying with state and federal regulations. The auditor’s office reviews the financial operations and regulatory processes of more than 30 state agencies, municipalities, as well as its public universities and community colleges. State law gives the auditor broad powers to examine the records of those places, and gives her the power to summon people to answer questions under oath.
In a statement, Wood said she was proud to make the state government more accountable. She took credit for identifying $438 million in unemployment checks that were sent out late, discovering 131 online grade school courses that didn’t meet state standards, and catching 21 physicians who were treating Medicaid patients without an active license.
At the legislature, Wood enjoys significantly more support from Republican leaders than many other Democratic politicians.
Her announcement Wednesday came during a House Oversight Committee where lawmakers were grilling the head of the state unemployment office over problems with delays and improper payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. They invited Wood, who has previously published multiple negative audits of the unemployment office, to testify.
Before Wood made her announcement several of the committee’s Republican members gave her glowing praise, despite their different political parties. Committee Chairman Rep. Jake Johnson, R-Polk, called her testimony “extremely insightful” and Rep. Jeffrey McNeely, R-Iredell, praised Wood for helping hold state government agencies accountable for years.
“Your department gives us the information that helps us to make inquiries into the problems that plague state government,” McNeely said. “Without your digging, your findings, we don’t have a lot of basis.”
McNeely also appeared to needle Wood about her hit-and-run incident at the same time he was praising her for her investigative rigor.
“I’m sure when you pull up in the parking lot, they’re nervous — maybe for a couple reasons,” he said.
But after she made her announcement about not seeking reelection, McNeely joined the rest of the committee in giving Wood a warm round of applause.
In the statement Wood emailed to the press, she alluded to past controversies.
“I know that I have made mistakes along the way, but I have acknowledged them and have learned from them,” the statement said.
Wood told legislators she wasn’t ready to just coast into her next career outside of politics. She won’t leave office until January 2025.
“We’ve got 14 months to kick some butt,” she said.
