Just Charge It; Lack of Credit; Preserving History Instead of Apartments; Painful But Hopeful Reminder.

RVA 5x5 - May 19, 2024

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STORY #1 — Just Charge It
There have been far too many instances and reasons why people have been losing faith in the election process in recent years, and now we have another reason that is home grown, but it comes with yet another example of the incompetence with how City Hall is being run and how the basics seem to be of little concern.

Samuel Parker at the Times-Dispatch filed a report this weekend that found the city has suspended the credit card of the city’s Voter Registrar for racking up nearly $70,000 on the city’s credit card in 2023 for furniture, food, art, hotels, and even ancillary charges like the hotel minibar. In just the first two months of 2024, charges have exceeded $17,000.

The city’s Inspector General’s Office is looking into the matter but declined to comment beyond "We’re trying to move as expeditiously as possible to come to a conclusion." Balmer is also under investiga…