by Dick Hall-Sizemore
The situation with the Richmond city registrar just keeps getting worse. For once, however, one cannot blame the city administration or city council. The registrar is appointed by, and answers to, the Richmond electoral board, which is comprised of two Republicans and one Democrat. Nevertheless, the city can exercise some control over the money spent by the registrar.
The saga started in 2021 when the electoral board, with Democrats in the majority, fired the long-time registrar, Kirk Showalter. No public explanation was given for firing Showalter, who had been in the office for 25 years, serving both Republican and Democratic boards. There had been public allegations that she had not been courteous to a former City Council member, had failed to follow FOIA procedures, had moved slowly in notifying absentee voters of errors in their ballots that they could correct, and had demeaned Black staff members. She was also blamed for an outbreak of COVID in the Registrar’s office. However, she was well respected by registrars throughout the state.
The board appointed Keith Balmer to the position of registrar. Balmer, who had been employed by the Virginia Dept. of Elections, garnered high praise from the electoral board members. Jim Nachman, the chair of the board, called him “eminently qualified” and cited “his knowledge and experience, [and] how he conducts himself and how he interacts with people, the staff at the registrar’s office and the public.”
Balmer has not lived up to those expectations. As I noted in an earlier post, his office twice sent outdated instructions to a large number of potential absentee voters. But the missteps and problems have gotten much bigger. He has been accused of hiring his brother and contracting agency business out to his wife. The city has suspended his purchasing card after he racked up nearly $70,000 in charges last year. As reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the charges included “almost $15,000 for furniture, $8,903 at a local art supplier, about $6,500 on hotels and lodging, and over $6,000 on food and beverages.” The Richmond inspector general is investigating nepotism and financial improprieties charges lodged against Balmer.
In addition to these serious charges, the Times-Dispatch revealed in today’s e-edition that Balmer has been reprimanded at least three times in recent months for violating Richmond procurement procedures in issuing contracts to third-party vendors. There were no allegations that there was anything improper about the contracts themselves, just that Balmer had refused to follow the proper procedures despite having been asked to do so and saying that he would.
Finally, in perhaps a sign of the times, Balmer has entered into a contract with a security firm to provide “personal protection services” for him at a cost of $85 per hour for each guard. The entire contract, which runs from February until Election Day, could cost the city as much as $150,000.
As if the problems surrounding Balmer were not enough, the Virginia Mercury reports about dissension among the electoral board members. In a move that might seem unusual, one of the Republican members of the board has sided with the Democratic member against the other Republican member.
None of this bodes well for the upcoming tumultuous election season.