Mae Beavers Calls on Tennessee Comptroller to ‘Conduct a Complete and Thorough Audit and Investigation’ of All TECD Grants Issued During Randy Boyd’s Tenure as Commissioner

Conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers called on the Tennessee Comptroller to “conduct a complete and thorough audit and investigation” of all the grants issued during Randy Boyd’s tenure as commissioner of Tennessee Economic and Community Development (TECD).

Boyd announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in March after resigning as commissioner of TECD in January.

“It appears Randy Boyd has used Tennessee taxpayer dollars and resources as ECD Commissioner to lay the foundations of his gubernatorial campaign,” Beavers said in a statement released late Monday.

“The Comptroller should conduct a complete and thorough audit and investigation of this grant — as well as all other grants awarded during Mr. Boyd’s tenure — in order to determine if this is part of a broader pattern of targeted corporate welfare designed to build political support,” the former State Senator from Mt. Juliet said.

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Justin P. Wilson is in charge several departments, including the  Division of State Audit, which “conducts financial and compliance audits, performance audits, information systems audits, attestation engagements, investigations, and special studies to provide the General Assembly, the Governor, and the citizens of Tennessee with objective information about the state’s financial condition and the performance of the state’s many agencies and programs,” according to its website.

“The division also audits the state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and the Single Audit Report,” the website adds.

Beavers’ statement continued:

“Governor Haslam should demand an immediate independent review of all grants awarded by then-Commissioner Boyd and the ECD in order to determine whether this apparent impropriety goes deeper into actual misuse of our tax dollars,” Beavers declared. “I️ can’t imagine that the Governor would oppose a transparent and detailed examination of Randy Boyd and his team in allocating grants,” she continued.

“In addition, ECD’s advertising and promotional activities that always seemed more focused on building Mr. Boyd’s brand than creating or attracting the most jobs to Tennessee,” she concluded.

“The news of Boyd’s quid pro quo deals comes after the Tennessee Star revealed Boyd funneled $1 million of TECD funds to TwelveStone Health Partners,” the statement continued:

TwelveStone’s CEO, Shane Reeves, is now running for State Senate district 14. Not long after receiving the funds, the Reeves Family PAC donated $5,000 to Boyd’s campaign and also endorsed Boyd for governor.

Mae Beavers is a former state senator and representative who has served Tennesseans for two decades. First elected as a county commissioner, she’s best known for her staunch opposition to higher taxes, her strong commitment to life, the second amendment, and protecting the rights of Tennessee’s parents and students from infringement by a federal government run amok.

You can read The Tennessee Star story, “State Senate Candidate Shane Reeves’ Company Received $1 Million Grant from TECD Approved by Randy Boyd in 2016, Reeves Family PAC Donated $5,000 to Gubernatorial Campaign in 2017,” here.