The office of Treasurer is one of the five constitutional offices required by the Code of Virginia, with the requirement that the position be elected added in 1870. The Treasurer oversees the collection and reporting of taxes and fees in the county, maintains the county’s bank accounts, and manages its various funds, among other duties. Like the position of Commissioner of the Revenue, the Treasurer often acts as a bridge between the state and local levels—subject to the Commonwealth but directly accountable to the locality’s taxpayers.
Curran, Beth
Elizabeth “Beth” Curran, 55, has served as Treasurer since 1992 and is running for her seventh four-year term unopposed.
“I’m hoping to be here for life,” she told the Progress July 3—a federal holiday that nevertheless saw Curran hard at work at the Treasurer’s Office.
A Bowling Green native, Curran was born a Beale and still lives in the town in a house built by her ancestors around 1840. After graduating from James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, she went on to the University of Virginia; it was there that she took her first accounting class and, she said, “was sold” on the profession.
Curran graduated from UVA with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 1977 and later obtained her Master Governmental Treasurer certification from the school’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
She spent more than a decade working as a certified public accountant for Mitchell, Wiggins & Company, a firm in which she ultimately rose to the level of partner. Among many other duties she conducted audits of Caroline and eventually consulted the Caroline Treasurer’s Office through its shift from a paper-based to a computerized system before running for the position of Treasurer itself.
Outside of her work, Curran is a member of Bowling Green Baptist, where she keeps the nursery at the Sunday School and sings in the choir. She has three children.
Asked about major accomplishments of her 23 years of tenure, Curran cites the office’s customer service emphasis and the establishment of Web payment systems.
“We’re always looking at ways to make it easier to pay taxes,” she said, adding that she eventually hopes to see the Treasurer’s Office implement a tax e-check system through the website.
“My philosophy is, if you provide good service to the taxpayers, you hope that the four years prior to the election is your best campaign material,” she said.