Political response muted as questions linger on state auditor's car crash
News this week that state auditor Beth Wood ran her state-owned vehicle into a parked car last month in downtown Raleigh, then allegedly left the scene, yielded a muted response from her colleagues Friday as they waited on the auditor to address multiple outstanding questions.
Most members of the Council of State, a collection of 10 statewide elected officials, including the auditor, declined to comment or didn’t respond when WRAL News sought comment on the incident and Wood’s future.
That includes Gov. Roy Cooper, who, like Wood, is a Democrat. His press office didn’t respond to multiple requests.
Some colleagues called on Wood to answer questions, which she hasn’t been willing to do since news broke Wednesday about the Dec. 8 wreck. Wood has referred questions to her attorney, Roger Smith Jr., who has’t responded to WRAL News inquiries.
“I’d like to see Auditor Wood be more forthright with the people and give us the facts about this case,” Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said in a statement Friday. “As elected officials we need to be transparent and hold ourselves to a higher standard.”
State Treasurer Dale Folwell said he was “confident that Auditor Wood will address this matter in a manner the people she represents would expect of her.”
“On a personal level, I was saddened to learn of this news,” Folwell said in a written statement. “Auditor Wood has a long career as a dedicated and effective public servant.”
Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said he was “confident in the judicial process,” noting Wood has a court date Thursday.
“I will say that our society is quick to judge and slow to forgive,” Dobson, who along with Folwell and Causey is a Republican, said in a written statement. “Auditor Wood is a committed public servant and has worked hard for the citizens of North Carolina.”
Quite a few questions remain about the incident. What’s known is based on police reports, accounts from the family who owns the vehicle that Wood’s state-issued Toyota Camry was found up against on the night of Dec. 8, pictures from the aftermath and a report that Wood herself was required to file with the state’s motor fleet manager, disclosing the crash.
Wood said on the form that she “made a sharp sudden turn and struck a parked vehicle.” A police report says her car — official North Carolina license plate No. 6 — “overrode up onto the hood of the vehicle.” Witnesses of the aftermath said the vehicle was left running and that there was no driver in sight. Wood was charged with misdemeanor hit and run and cited with an unsafe movement infraction.
What political fallout may come remains to be seen. She’s 68 and up for re-election in 2024. If she runs, it would be for a fifth term. She’s made a political career out of demanding transparency and accountability from state agencies.
“If it’s simply a traffic accident it’s embarrassing,” Meredith College poll director David McLennan said Friday. “I guess what raises questions for me is why she’s so silent about it. … The longer this goes on, and the more that anybody who runs against her in 2024 decides to use it, it could be more than embarrassing. It could be raising other questions about how she does her job.”
Chris Valverde, the owner of the car that was struck, learned of the crash from his daughter, who had borrowed the car to go to work at a downtown restaurant. She called him with the news that night. “She was telling me that the car was on still, and someone had just fled the scene,” Valverde told WRAL News.
Valverde says that he wants answers and accountability for someone whose job it is to keep people accountable. As auditor, Wood’s office examines state spending and processes.
“We trust our government officials to be responsible in everything they do,” Valverde said, “and I think that was very irresponsible of her to flee the scene.”
