The State Auditor’s Office Reborn

Good morning, and thank you for joining us this Saturday.

Over the past several months, we’ve examined the work and impact of some of North Carolina’s senior statewide elected officials, including Gov. Josh Stein, Treasurer Brad Briner, and Labor Commissioner Luke Farley. 

Today, we turn to North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek. 

The Office of the State Auditor has not historically been a marquee statewide elected post. But that perception may be changing under Auditor Dave Boliek. 

Since taking office in January 2025, Boliek, a Republican, has pursued high-profile audits that touch everyday life. Lawmakers tasked him with increased oversight across state agencies, and Boliek has responded by making transparency the focus of his agenda.

Boliek’s arrival came after a turbulent period for the auditor’s office. Longtime Auditor Beth Wood, a Democrat, resigned in 2023 following a downtown Raleigh hit-and-run in which she crashed her car on top of a parked vehicle after drinking. Lenient media scrutiny following the December 2022 incident allowed her to remain in office for nearly a year before ultimately stepping down amid mounting public criticism. The case undercut her reputation for accountability; prosecutors noted that she “held people accountable but then violated the rules herself.”

The irony was compounded when some outlets ran glowingretrospectives of her career even as fresh charges piled up against her. For many North Carolinians, the disconnect reinforced not only the public’s distrust in the media, but a sense that the auditor’s office had lost credibility and needed a reset.

Then-Governor Roy Cooper’s decision to appoint former Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes as Wood’s successor only heightened scrutiny. Holmes, a labor lawyer with backing from some of the state’s largest organized labor and activist groups, had already been rejected by voters in her 2020 bid for labor commissioner. Her appointment may have further fueled demand for an auditor who promised accountability and independence.

Against that backdrop, Boliek’s description of the auditor’s office as a “sleeping giant” carried weight. He pledged visibility and a restoration of the office’s role as a watchdog North Carolinians could trust. Since then, two themes have defined his tenure: rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse through high-impact audits and embracing the new oversight powers assigned by the General Assembly.

His flagship effort has been a sweeping review of the Division of Motor Vehicles, promised on the campaign trail and already producing results. After his audit highlighted chronic understaffing and long waits, lawmakers responded by funding new examiner positions and passing legislation to streamline license renewals so drivers can spend less time at DMV offices.

Other audits have carried similar real-world stakes. A Medicaid review found doctors with suspended or restricted licenses still treating patients at taxpayer expense, raising safety and integrity concerns. A preliminary report on Charlotte’s light rail system revealed that the number of armed security personnel fell even as security spending nearly tripled, prompting questions over whether local elected leaders placed politics above rider safety.

Together, these cases illustrate Boliek’s focus on technical oversight applied to everyday concerns.

One of Boliek’s most consequential new responsibilities has been assuming appointment authority for the State Board of Elections. Long beset by partisan rancor, the board was recast when lawmakers transferred appointment power from the governor to the auditor. Predictions of sabotage and democratic collapse quickly followed. Yet under Boliek’s appointees, the board has taken measured steps — like launching the Registration Repair Project that secured bipartisan fixes for tens of thousands of incomplete voter records — that have brought a degree of professionalism and sanity to a body too often defined by division.

Another key shift came this summer when lawmakers passed the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency (DAVE) Act, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. The law mirrors federal efforts like DOGE and gives the auditor’s office $6 million and 45 staff to evaluate whether state agencies and programs should be reorganized, reduced, or even eliminated. Boliek has embraced the charge, saying the mission is time-sensitive: taxpayers deserve answers on what the government is doing well, what it’s not, and where resources should be redirected.

Beyond the DMV, Medicaid, and Charlotte transit, Boliek’s office has been active across the state. In Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, his report uncovered $75 million in bonuses and a $46 million budget deficit, prompting the State Board of Education to impose new oversight. In Mount Olive, his auditors found a commissioner and staffers voiding water fees, costing the town more than $210,000. A review of the Battleship Commission flagged $2.1 million in reporting errors caused by weak controls. Each case underscores a common theme: Boliek has turned the spotlight on local and state entities that might otherwise have escaped notice.

These audits and new responsibilities are reshaping the auditor’s office from a low-profile compliance shop into one of the most consequential forces in state government. The turbulent aftermath of Beth Wood’s exit left the office in need of credibility; nine months into Boliek’s tenure, the “sleeping giant” is unmistakably awake. Boliek is quickly restoring relevance to an office once dismissed as obscure, and North Carolinians are paying attention.