Richmond’s top electoral officials, including Chief Electoral Officer Keith Balmer, have been accused of breaching city policies, according to an investigative report by the city’s Human Resources department. The accusations arose after three former employees in the elections office claimed that official funds were being misused and nepotism was rife within the department.
Richmond’s government watchdog agency has charged General Registrar Balmer and his team with 25 counts of misuse, fraud, and abuse of power. The report indicates that Balmer and his staff allegedly violated a significant number of city rules, leading to waste of almost half a million taxpayer dollars.
Balmer, who supervises all election-related functions inside the city of Richmond, has been serving in this capacity since his appointment by the Richmond Electoral Board in 2021. The Electoral Board, composed of three members, act as his superiors. The elections office personnel are typically governed by city procedures and receive funding from the city for their operations.
The probe commenced following allegations of misappropriation and favoritism in the elections department. A separate inquiry by Richmond Human Resources discovered that Balmer and his deputy registrar breached city policies designed to prevent nepotism by employing numerous family members within their department. Upon learning about these blemishes, Balmer declared his intention to rectify the highlighted issues and implement needed alterations.
The inquiry primarily focused on the accusations of public funds misuse. From January to May this year, the report found that Balmer and his deputy register engaged a company to deliver security services amounting to $200,144. This procurement did not comply with the city’s standard processes and was peculiar considering an existing security contract the city had, which the elections office could have utilized.
The contracted company provided personal security detail for Balmer at external events, including an out-of-town four-day conference, a marathon, and a high school level basketball tournament. Balmer justified the use of personal protection services out of concerns for safety due to threats. However, the investigation revealed that these alleged threats were generic, not targeted at anyone, and remained unreported to the Richmond Police.
The inquiry identified instances of the security company purchasing alcohol during work hours for Balmer and his staff and then billing the city. At one point, the office could not cover the outstanding three invoices of the security company due to depleted funds. As a result, Balmer had no choice but to request the Richmond City Council for additional funds.
Investigators criticized Balmer’s decision to engage private security services without valid reasons. They described it as a misuse of power and deemed it a wasteful use of government money.
In another scenario, the Deputy Register went against the advice of the city’s security manager and acquired a firearm for a temporary employee to function as an armed security guard. The temp agency, however, was not certified or insured to provide such services. This act was deemed an unauthorized buying process and an abuse of given authority, thus the city seized the gun once aware of it.
The Registrar approved renovations of their rented office space, which included carpeting, flooring, wall and interior work, bathroom, and electrical maintenance, summing to $229,969 between the months of August and November. The investigators found foul play as no bidding process was initiated and the landlord’s project manager did not consent to the modifications.
When asked by the investigators, both the Registrar and the Deputy Registrar claimed unawareness of the expenditure on the building’s remodel. An additional waste of $16,293 was discovered on art pieces for the space.
Between February and December of the previous year, Balmer allegedly paid student artists a total of $7,500 to create murals at the office. The report also highlights how he used his procurement card to purchase 12 pieces of artwork from a local art center, costing $8,793.50. Again, the investigators ruled that a proper procurement process was not followed for these purchases.
Furthermore, wastage of another $14,647 was discovered on lavish furniture such as a sofa set, desk, cabinets, table, shelving units, chairs, and a mirror for the office. The report also referenced an incident in December 2021 where Balmer purportedly committed fraud by providing false information about a food purchase.
According to investigators, Balmer misused his procurement card to cater to food expenses for attendees at a regional meeting, including those not employed by the city. Balmer received a reimbursement check of $735 for non-city employees’ meals, but allegedly never cashed it. Investigators pointed out that he also misrepresented the number of attendees for whom meals were bought.
Several other violations mentioned in the report include: misuse of a government card for alcohol consumption during work hours, approval for an unauthorized probe into supposed election interference by a private security firm, payments for consulting services, incorrect recording of vacation and sick leaves, and inappropriate travel expenditures for non-employees. The total amount wasted as stated by the Inspector General was nearly $475,000 of taxpayer funds.