Deputy registrar charged almost $80K to city credit card, documents show (2024)

The Times-Dispatch previously reported that Balmer’s purchasing card had been suspended by city officials after he spent nearly $70,000 in 2023. Balmer had used his card to spend $15,000 on furniture, $8,903 at a local art supplier, about $6,500 on hotels and lodging, and over $6,000 on food and beverages, records show.

Richardson, whose card also was revoked, outspent her boss by nearly $10,000.

Richardson told the Times-Dispatch that she is cooperating with the investigation and that she does “not feel like there’s any problems on (the cards) at all.” The investigation only began when former employees falsely accused Balmer and Richardson of misusing city funds, Richardson said.

“We pay as many bills as we can on the cards,” she said. “It’s easier and it saves time.”

A spokesperson for the Inspector General’s Office declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

Card use under investigation

Richardson spent $7,770.44 on purchases categorized as “home supply warehouse stores,” “hardware equipment and supplies” or “industrial supplies” in 2023, according to the transaction log. Most of those purchases were made at Lowe’s.

Richardson said those charges came from first-floor renovations that entailed new flooring, lighting, furniture and paint.

Richardson also spent $5,086.11 on purchases categorized as “lodging, hotels, motels (and) resorts” in 2023. Most of those purchases occurred on Aug. 3 at a Hilton in Roanoke.

Destiny Fleming, a former employee of the Richmond office of elections, said those charges were accrued during the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia (VRAV) conference, which was attended by 10 members of the Richmond office of elections. The transaction log for Balmer’s purchasing card shows $3,623.69 in charges at the same hotel on the same day.

Fleming and Jason Redd, another former employee, both told the Times-Dispatch that one of their colleagues charged a substantial number of alcoholic beverages to his hotel room, adding to the total tab for the conference.

Richardson flatly denied claims that she used her purchasing card to cover the cost of alcohol.

“(We’d) be fools to think we could do that,” she said, adding that the employee paid for the drinks himself.

Other 2023 charges to Richardson’s purchasing card included a $1,226.60 purchase at Red Wing Shoes and two purchases worth a total $1,041.86 at Southern Police Equipment, a gun store on Midlothian Turnpike.

Richardson said she used her purchasing card to buy a firearm, ammunition and a vest for a security guard who worked for the Office of Elections. The relationship with the guard did not work out, she said, and the city retained possession of the gear.

Among Richardson’s 2024 charges was a $7,650 charge at HPI Unified, which offers security, personal protections and investigation services to its clients, according to the company’s website. Richardson said she would “look into this charge.”

Nepotism also alleged

Payroll records obtained by the Times-Dispatch indicate that two of Richardson’s grandchildren — Christian Javins and Lily Lutton — work for the Office of Elections. Javins serves as an elections technician and earns $30 per hour, while Lutton is an intern earning $21 per hour, Balmer previously said.

Richardson defended their employment, saying she is not involved in the hiring process and that neither Javins nor Lutton report to her.

“Elections have always been in our family,” Richardson said.

At the time, Balmer said city contracting and procurement regulations did not forbid him from hiring relatives, and explained that “the tradition of civic engagement … is ingrained within families.”

But Fleming said Balmer and Richardson “hired whoever (they) liked,” and were more likely to bring on new staff members if they had personal connections in the office.

‘The board trusts Mr. Balmer’

Burks explained that the purchasing card program is overseen by Richmond’s department of Procurement Services. A spokesperson for the department did not respond to questions regarding spending limits, category guidelines and purchasing rules for the card program.

Burks said that, while the department of Procurement Services distributes and monitors the purchasing cards, “the responsibility for proper use of the (purchasing) card is the responsibility of the (holder).” Any existing limits on the cards are enforced by Bank of America, which manages the accounts, Burks said.

Richardson was head of the office for four months in 2021 while the Electoral Board sought a replacement for ousted General Registrar Kirk Showalter.

Electoral Board Chair John Ambrose said he had been asked by the Inspector General’s Office not to comment on the ongoing probe. Asked whether he expected it to impact upcoming mayoral, gubernatorial and presidential elections, Ambrose said “the board trusts Mr. Balmer and his staff” to guide a fair and open elections process.

“Operations at the office are proceeding regardless of the investigation,” Ambrose said.

Ambrose said he expected the inspector general’s report to be completed after the June primaries, at which point the Electoral Board will review it and make a decision on Balmer’s and Richardson’s employment.

Richardson said she plans to retire in December.