Mae Beavers running for Wilson County mayor

Mae Beavers, who resigned from the state Senate last year to make a short-lived run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, has obtained a qualifying petition to now run for Wilson County mayor, reports the Wilson Post.

She will face Incumbent Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto, who has already filed his qualifying petition. Another potential candidate, Bob Richie, has picked up a petition but has not filed, according to the county election commission office.

Noting she had not intended to seek county office, Beavers said a group of “concerned citizens” met with her Saturday to encourage her to run for the highest seat in county government.

“Today, many are concerned about the finances in the county and the large increases in our property taxes, as well as other concerns,” Beavers told The Wilson Post Friday evening.

Beavers pointed to her experience as a member of the Wilson County Commission from 1990 until 1994, adding the group of citizens knew she was “familiar with the needs of the county.”

“They wanted a conservative to run,” she said. “As a county commissioner, I sponsored a resolution to adopt the 1981 Financial Management Act to hire a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) over finances and get computers for the first time in the county.”

The 1981 Financial Management act was adopted by the county in 1991 and created a finance committee and budget director’s position, centralizing the county’s finances.

Following her time as a county commissioner, the Mt. Juliet Republican served in the State House of Representatives for eight years and in the State Senate from 2002 until 2017, when she stepped down from the seat to enter the race for governor… She suspended her gubernatorial campaign in January, thanking her supporters and noting she looked forward to her “retirement after decades of being an elected official.”