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The city is in search of a new Voter Registrar who is in charge of Richmond’s Office of Elections after Keith Balmer resigned his post on Wednesday (effective Dec. 31) after a scathing audit released last month by the city’s Inspector General substantiated 25 of 26 allegations of misconduct in Balmer’s office.
But this scandal unfolds in three parts — it is about reckless (and appalling) misuse of city funds, as well as lack of oversight at City Hall that should have caught this abuse earlier (and wasn’t even acknowledged until the media reported on it), and also what happens when you bow to politics and place those interests instead of serving the people.
The Richmond Electoral Board was prepared to remove Balmer from his position at their Board meeting this week and offered Balmer the chance to resign during a closed session, which he did. Deputy Registrar Jerry Richardson also resigned prior to the meeting.
Samuel Parker at the Times-Dispatch wrote stories starting in March about nepotism in the office after Balmer hired his brother and gave a consulting contract to his wife; Deputy Director Richardson hired two grandchildren in the office. By May, Parker had uncovered and reported that both Balmer and Richardson used city issued credit cards and spent a combined $150,000 on various charges.
The Inspector General released his report in late November and found that the office paid more than $200,000 for private security without going through the proper procurement procedures and almost $230,000 for an office renovation that included high-end furniture and art. The office renovation did not go through the proper bidding process and it was discovered that the renovations were paid for over 21 small
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