The Beth Wood tragedy

When I was a teenager, I dated a girl named Carla who once told me she couldn’t get up in the morning unless she knew other people in the world were feeling as miserable as she was every day.

Needless to say, Carla and I went out on all of maybe three dates, and never got any closer - physically or otherwise -  than disco dancing on two of them.

Former NC Auditor Beth Wood reminds me of Carla.

Gee, on second thought, maybe I’m being a bit too harsh…on Carla.

What Wood pulled on current State Auditor Jessica Holmes last week was low, selfish, petty, transparent and racist. Hard to believe Wood was ever a Democrat, given the to-a-tee deranged MAGA behavior she’s displaying toward the Black woman, also a Democrat, who was appointed by Gov. Cooper to replace Wood last December after the former longtime auditor - in office since 2009 -  disgraced herself violating the law (pleading guilty to drunk driving, crashing a state-owned vehicle into a parked car, then running from the scene) and violating the very essence of what North Carolina taxpayers were paying her over 15 years in office NOT to do - namely betray our trust and the mission of the NC State Auditor’s Office by using state-owned vehicles for her own personal errands.

I don’t care what you are - Democrat, mineral or vegetable. What Wood pulled in December 2022 with that drunk-driving crash incident, followed by being indicted and pleading guilty in Superior Court months later on two misdemeanor counts of misusing government property, cast aspersions on the integrity and hard work of her office, and all 120+ people working there at the time.

According to Wake District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, “…Wood had used the [state-owned] vehicle between 2021 and 2022 for over a dozen trips to a hair salon, more than 40 shopping trips to Knightdale, and over two dozen trips to spas.”

So even Stevie Wonder could see that when Gov. Roy Cooper was looking for someone not only to fill out the rest of Wood’s unexpired term after her welcomed resignation, and also to run for the seat in 2024, he needed someone with unquestioned integrity, honesty and willingness to do all she or he could to earn the public’s respect back for the critical work that the NC Auditor’s Office does for the taxpayers of this state - namely root out government waste and corruption, regardless of party affiliation.

Cooper wanted someone in charge that he could trust wouldn’t grab a new state-owned Chevy to go glam shopping at the mall, or binge-drinking with the gals.

Someone who had enough respect for the people of North Carolina to behave themselves when no one was looking.

That someone, Gov. Cooper decided, was Jessica Holmes.

The fact that Holmes - a labor attorney by trade, and a former two-term member of the Wake County Board of Commissioners who, as chairman, oversaw a $1.5 billion budget - had zip-zero-nada experience as a trained or experienced government certified public accountant, apparently was not a concern to the governor.

Old enough, and mature enough to appreciate the opportunity, yet young enough to work very hard for the citizens of North Carolina, Ms. Holmes dug in, apparently using common sense and lots of heart, to guide her through her new challenge.

“I’m here today not because I’m Black or not because I’m a woman, but because I’m the person to do the job, and my credentials back that up,” Ms. Holmes said when the governor introduced her as his selection to replace Wood.

Of course things at the Auditor’s Office went slow at first with the dramatic transition. But Holmes is bright, determined, and dedicated. Thus far, she’s done nothing to embarrass her office, her governor or herself. She wears her heart on her sleeve, because coming from the small community of Maple Hill in Pender County, Holmes was brought up to care about her neighbors, to care about people.

Add to that her tremendous love for children and the elderly, and you have someone who wants more than anything, to make government work for all citizens. After all, that’s the essence of her job - making sure that every taxpayer dollar paid is doing what it’s supposed to do for citizens.

Inherent in all of this is the fact that Gov. Cooper trusted the staff at the Auditor’s Office - folks Wood herself calls “a well-oiled machine” - to continue to do their jobs efficiently, and help their new boss learn the ropes along the way.

According to Auditor Holmes, that’s exactly what has happened.

“I inherited an incredibly competent but demoralized staff, and audits that were several years old, some of which were fiscally irresponsible and or politically or personally motivated fishing expeditions intended to make headlines as opposed to making a difference to ensure the public’s trust in government spending,” Holmes said in a statement to The News and Observer. “I stand by my approach, and statutory responsibility, to be the state’s “independent” auditor, to be solutions-oriented to prevent fraud, waste and abuse, and to call it out without bias or political puppeteering.”

Under Holmes, the Auditor’s Office uncovered almost $700,000 in fraudulent university-issued credit card spending at Fayetteville State University; uncovered two people illegally allowed to live in the Town Hall of Fremont with their pets for six months, along with  “More than $230,000 paid to the former town administrator and former payroll clerk for services performed from 2014 through 2021 not reported to the IRS,” according to The News and Observer; in addition to other falsified payroll records, fiduciary and personnel records violations of the public trust.

And now, State Auditor Holmes is working with state agencies and local governments in hopes of preventing this kind of waste and corruption in the future.

Hmmm…sounds like good, common sense leadership in ferreting this stuff out to me.

Now along comes charming Beth Wood.

Apparently, despite claiming that she’s doing just fine these days, after her disgraceful exit from state government nine months ago, Wood still can’t let go of the fact that she didn’t leave on her own terms.

In interviews with WRAL-TV and The News and Observer, Wood was gleefully wearing out her Wicked Witch of the West routine when it came to Jessica Holmes.

“ She doesn’t have a clue.”

“You can't lead what you yourself don't understand.”

“I think she was picked because of race and gender, hoping to make her more electable.”

“Wood said [Holmes being in office since December 2023] doesn’t count for much because she believes Holmes is “not qualified” to lead the office.” 

“…clearly, she does not understand what the function of that job is.” 

Mess right out of the MAGA Republican songbook. OK, so far, I’ve given you Beth Wood’s low, selfish, petty and racist MAGA talk.

But now for her transparency.

My great sources in state government tell me that when Wood was still there, years ago, she was known to get along quite swimmingly with the Republicans, and particularly Gov. Pat McCrory. So the fact that she now admits to virtually job interviewing current Republican state auditor candidate Dave “I hate DEI” Boliek several times, not only does not surprise me, but tells me, in the words of current Auditor Jessica Holmes, that when she first got there nine months ago, she found, "...audits that were several years old, some of which were fiscally irresponsible and or politically or personally motivated fishing expeditions intended to make headlines as opposed to making a difference to ensure the public’s trust in government spending."

        If I'm interpreting Auditor Holmes' statement properly, she allegedly found evidence of her predecessor using the State Auditor's office to fulfill a "political or personal" agenda.

Guess what? That's exactly what Dave "MAGA" Boliek wants to do if he gets in there, and why, in my opinion, Wood is pushing so hard for him to succeed her.

So he can conveniently coverup her alleged "...audits that were several years old, some of which were fiscally irresponsible and or politically or personally motivated fishing expeditions intended to make headlines..., " not to mention do some damage himself.

Boliek is a conservative ideologue who is NOT a trained CPA either, and certainly has less experience than Jessica Holmes at this point because she’s been in that office for the past nine months. Wood says Boliek has impressed her with his attitude that he can do the job. That tells me that Wood, despite her vigorous denials, not only politically identifies with him, but needs him or his type in that office for a reason.

 Obviously, homegirl’s days as a loyal Democrat have long been over. 

Instead of realizing where she went wrong with her past reckless behavior, all of a sudden, disgraced former public official Beth Wood decides she knows what’s best for the NC Auditor’s office she brought shame to, and demands not only to still pick her own successor nine months after being shamed into leaving, but has the unmitigated gall to cross party lines to choose someone SHE KNOWS the NC Democratic Party and Gov. Cooper would never go for.

Either the woman has lost it, or something has been cooked in that kitchen Wood doesn't want us all to smell. I strongly suspect something is up here, and getting an honest broker like Jessica Holmes out of the way is part of the strategy.

Boliek may be a good family man, friendly, and even go to church every Sunday and all that, but back in April, he headed up the Budget Committee of the UNC - Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, and led the way towards defunding $2.5 million from all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campus, closing the diversity office there. 

And then claimed he was doing so for the cause of “nondiscrimination.” 

I'm sure Dr. King would have approved, Dave, after a tortured roll in his grave.

And if elected state auditor, Boliek says he wants to create an “office of election integrity,” as if North Carolina is rife with imagined MAGA voter fraud.

Plus, Boliek recently endorsed crazy Michele Morrow, the MAGA state superintendent of Public Instruction candidate who says she wants to see former President Barack Obama shot by a firing squad on pay-per-view TV, among other off the wall MAGA foolishness.

This is who Beth Wood is impressed with and wants to succeed her in the NC Auditor’s Office - a sorry, right-wing, anti-diversity, election denying MAGA cartoon character straight out of Rocky and Bullwinkle!

Sorry, Beth, but that Dave Boliek dog you're backing just don’t hunt for anyone but Republicans. Might as well throw him in the toilet along side Mark Robinson, Michele Morrow and Dan Bishop, and flush, ‘cause that kind of NC MAGA politician is going down the drain this fall.

I don't know what you're specifically allegedly up to, but your Dave Boliek endorsement smells to the highest heavens.

Needless to say, the Beth Wood story is a tragic one. Instead of leaving NC state government heralded for her stellar work after 15 years, Wood's name, picture and the word “disgraced” will occupy the same space in the history books of this state for the rest of time.

In an interview with the N&O, Wood had the yams to proclaim that her endorsement of Boliek “…was based solely on which candidate she felt has ‘the competencies, the experience, and the expertise to run that agency.’ “I’m just shocked that people are up in the air because I’ve picked a Republican. It’s not about party.”

The poor woman, in my opinion, is full of copious amounts of crap, and if she thinks any Democrats worth their salt are going to listen to her about anything, let alone Jessica Holmes, she’s fooling herself.

And believe me, the joyous way Democrats are feeling these days about Black female Democratic candidates, and one in particular…well let’s just say pulling this nonsense a week after the best DNC Convention ever is crappy timing to say the least!

Give me an honest, forthright public servant willing to work hard to serve all the citizens any day, every day, versus someone who has proven themselves to be so self-destructive, petty and blind to the fact, that she vindictively strikes out because she believes she’s entitled to.

How did NC Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton put it ? “The opinion of a disgraced auditor who misused State property, in direct conflict to the whole point of their job, and has now endorsed a MAGA election-denier, won’t change our mind.”

By the way,  Clayton also used the opportunity to ask her followers on ‘X” (formally Twitter) to show some love, and donate to the Holmes campaign. Hey, after the BS Wood put her through, Jessica deserves every dollar!

I feel so very sorry for you, Beth Wood. I hope you and your new MAGA Republican political boyfriend, Dave Boliek, have a great life together.

Especially after this November's elections are over.

Hey, maybe you two could hook up with Carla?!!!