Beth Wood leaving state auditor post on Friday with remarkable legacy

(The Center Square) – Following a 30-year career as a public servant, North Carolina Auditor Beth Wood exits Friday leaving a remarkable legacy that has drawn praise from respected members of both political sides of the aisle.

“Friday is bittersweet,” Wood told The Center Square in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “I’ve committed 15 years to this agency, but it’s time to go.”

“I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”

Wood was 54 years old she unseated incumbent state Auditor Les Merritt in 2008 with more than 53% of the vote, becoming the first woman elected to the position. Her four terms and 15 years following reelections in 2012, 2016 and 2020 are exceeded in the office’s 161 years only by Henry Bridges (1947-81) and Baxter Durham (1921-37).

Before her ascension, she worked for two others who achieved firsts in the office: Ralph Campbell was the first Black elected in 1993, and Merrit was the first certified public accountant to be elected. Wood became the second.

Wood left a job in the state treasurer’s office reviewing local government audits to work within Campbell’s staff in a training position. He later promoted her to head of the division, part of a decade in preparation for winning election.

“When I moved to Raleigh in 1993, if anyone would have told me I’d be an elected official I would have laughed,” Wood said. “I would have thought that was hilarious.”

Wood said she was compelled to run for state auditor because she “saw the need” for change in the agency, and “had a vision for the agency and that was to make it better serve the residents of North Carolina.”

She focused on ensuring reports from the auditor’s office were “irrefutable,” while recruiting top talent to carry out its mission.

“I wanted to build an accounting firm, not just a state agency,” Wood said, adding that the result was “we put out audits that have literally changed the lives of the citizens of North Carolina.”

“The quality of the staff here now, I think is the best it’s ever been in the history of the agency,” Wood said.

Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell told The Center Square he will miss her as a fellow member of the Council of State.

“These positions,” he said, “can be very lonely at times, and having a fellow CPA to bounce things off of … is something I’m deeply grateful for. Whoever follows her will have big heels to fill. Anyone who knows about her shoe collection will know what I mean.”

As one of 10 members of the Council of State, Wood has spent the last 15 years leading audits into critical state agency operations, local governments, and other public entities. She and her staff are responsible for helping protect taxpayer money and ensuring public transparency.

Among many accomplishments, Wood has revealed more than 100 online school courses that didn’t meet state standards, uncovered 21 physicians who treated Medicaid patients without a license, and identified $438 million in unemployment checks sent out late during the pandemic.

Wood announced in November that she would not seek reelection, and later added that she would step down early.

The move was prompted in part by the hanging cloud – arguably the only one of significance in her career – over a car crash last December in downtown Raleigh. She apologized for her actions, pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor hit-and-run charges, and agreed to a plea deal with the Wake County district attorney last month after a probe and grand jury indictment.

The indictment involved charges related to use of a state-owned vehicle for personal errands and appointments. Her pension for 30 years of public service is preserved.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Nov. 30 appointed Jessica Holmes, a lawyer and deputy industrial commissioner, to serve out the remaining year of Wood’s term. Her first day is Wood’s last.

Holmes filed into the 2024 election last week to run for a full term. If she wins, the office would be without a CPA in leadership for the first time in 20 years.

Wood, meanwhile, is focused on the future.

“I’d like to still serve, in some way, the people of North Carolina,” she said. “I’d also like to train and public speak, so I’m still looking into that piece.”

“I’m actually going to work with a firm that serves local governments, particularly local governments having financial issues,” said Wood, who is joining Greg Isley’s CPA firm in Raleigh. “Given my work on the Local Government Commission, and I’ve audited local governments … this fits well for me.”

Folwell knows what Isley’s firm is getting.

“I’ve always wanted the best out of her and want the best for her, and as the state auditor she never let me down,” Folwell said.

Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders have also praised Wood’s service and wished her well.

During a November House oversight hearing at which Wood announced her plans to step down, Iredell Republican Rep. Jeffrey McNeely heaped praise for her work holding state agencies accountable for years.

“Your department gives us the information that helps us to make inquiries into the problems that plague state government,” he said. “Without your digging, your findings, we don’t have a lot of basis.”

In an email to The Center Square, House Minority Leader Robert Reives wrote, “Auditor Wood has served North Carolina for years and I appreciate her hard work keeping government accountable to the people.”

“It’s been an honor,” Wood said, “to serve the citizens of North Carolina and I thank God with blessing me with that opportunity.”