Richmond Elections Office to Stop Hiring, Contracting Family After HR Investigation Finds Officials Violated City Rules

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond’s top election administrator says the city’s elections office will stop hiring and awarding contracts to family members after an investigation found he and another key official broke the policies of nepotism and ethics.

In a press release published on WednesdayRichmond City Registrar Keith Balmer spoke about the findings of the city’s human resources investigation into him and his deputy, Jerry Richardson, which found they violated city laws. policies on the employment of relatives And rules of ethics and recommended “immediate ministerial restructuring.”

Balmer said the HR investigation had highlighted “several concerns” about nepotism and ethics policies and said he was taking steps to address issues related to the lack of a transparent and fair hiring process.

“Moving forward, we will implement more rigorous hiring practices to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all employees,” Balmer wrote“The practice of hiring family members will be abandoned.”

Balmer’s statement, which did not address Richardson, comes as the city’s inspector general is reviewing allegations of improper spending and nepotism by Balmer and Richardson.

Both men confirmed family ties within the office, according to the HR investigation summary obtained by 8News, including the hiring of Balmer’s brother as an election specialist and Richardson’s grandson as an election technician.

Balmer also admitted that he hired his wife to take disability training for the office and that she was paid $2,300. When asked about the decision to hire her, Balmer said, “He believed his wife was the best person for the job,” according to the investigation summary.

But Balmer said Wednesday that a widely circulated document related to the investigation that detailed family ties within the Richmond elections office “led to the false belief” that he immediately began hiring family members after being appointed.

The practice of hiring family members into the office, Balmer said, “goes back at least 20 years” and had been normalized for him since he first worked there more than a decade ago.

“I noticed it immediately after being initially hired in 2011“Working alongside people who were related was a normal thing for me, and I never paid attention to it,” Balmer said.

In his statement Wednesday, Balmer referred to his wife being awarded a contract for a training program to help poll workers assist voters with disabilities.

Balmer claimed that a provision of the city code granted him an exemption from the bidding process “for any goods or services related to the conduct of an election,” which led him to award the contract to his wife. Richmond’s city attorney did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of Balmer’s claim.

“She did a professional job and the training was well received. However, due to its controversial nature, I will not be awarding any future contracts to my wife, or any other member of my family for that matter.”