Nov. 27 Newsletter: Diversifying the police ranks
Weather: High of 56 today. It looks like a rainy Thanksgiving tomorrow.
On this date in 1926, John D. Rockefeller Jr. sends a wire to pastor William Goodwin authorizing him to begin purchasing properties in Colonial Williamsburg, setting the stage for its restoration. Rockefeller's patronage is kept a secret until most of the land is acquired.
Today's newsletter sponsored by: Virginia Commonwealth University. As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities to do what others can’t or won’t. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.
IG report faults Richmond election office for gun purchase, drinking during work hours, excessive spending and more
An internal investigation into the Richmond election office found wide-ranging misconduct:
- The use of a city purchasing card to purchase a handgun so a temporary employee could work as an armed security guard despite not being authorized for armed security work.
- Purchasing alcohol with public resources and allowing election office employees to drink alcohol during work hours.
- The approval of “false time entries” for an employee who was largely absent from the office but still being paid as if they were working.
- The signing of an “unnecessary” security contract for the office that included personal bodyguards for General Registrar Keith Balmer, leading to a depleted budget.
The Richmond Electoral Board, which has the power to fire Balmer, will take the report up on Dec. 4.
Balmer wrote on social media: "I will be addressing this IG report in the coming days. And I got a lot to say."
Read more, and see the full report, here.
With five new female officers, VCU continues push to diversify police ranks
VCU's 49th Police Academy ended with five new female officers, part of the agency's push to diversify its 95-member force.
“Research suggests that women receive fewer complaints, draw their firearms less, and are less likely to use excessive force,” the National Policing Institute wrote.
VCU's police chief said he's worked to provide greater flexibility to officers who are also parents, and the department offers things like a lactation room at headquarters. Still, there's a stigma to battle.
Nadeen Hassan, age 23, said that after 2020's protests, she concluded that “if I don’t like what I’m seeing, why not be a part of changing that, being a better role model and representation of what I want to see in the streets, and help people the way that I want to?”
Read more on the new officers here.
Randolph-Macon's Pedro Arruza might be the best football coach you've never heard of - and he prefers it that way
Randolph-Macon starts its road to the title game in the Division III football playoffs on Saturday, which has become an annual tradition under coach Pedro Arruza.
Arruza lost his father and three of his brothers growing up, two to drug overdoses, two to suicide. His football coaches had a big impact on him, inspiring him to enter the profession.
“The least interesting thing about him might be the football,” said Randolph-Macon athletic director Jeff Burns.
Data: A complete look at voter turnout
With late mail-in and day-of provisional ballots counted, Richmond's final voter turnout was 65.4% percent in this year's November election.
Turnout was highest in Richmond's Near West End, while the lowest turnout was in the 6th District, home to embattled City Council candidate Tavares Floyd.
Looking at a precinct level, here was each mayoral candidate's best location, by percentage of the vote won:
Andreas Addison: 21.6% in Precinct 113 (Albert Hill Middle School - Museum District)
Danny Avula: 69.6% in Precinct 106 (Windsor Farms - West End)
Michelle Mosby: 57.4% in Precinct 610 (Bellemeade Community Center - Jeff Davis Hwy)
Maurice Neblett: 13.7% in Precinct 310 (Calhoun Center - Gilpin Court)
Harrison Roday: 20.2% in Precinct 607 (Main Library - Downtown)
Today's sponsor:
Welcome to Campus. Now Get Out of the Classroom.
VCU President Michael Rao says university students are more career-ready when they receive valuable experiences in and out of the classroom.
Rao shared his perspective recently in an article published by the Chronicle of Higher Education stating universities should do more to connect intellectual development with professional development. That we need to teach skills that are career-related. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to evolve how we fulfill our most basic mission: to give students the best preparation for the world in which they will live and work. Read more.
In other news...
- Teachers removed from jobs after toddler wanders onto Parham Road (NBC 12)
- Inside Baseball: The behind-the-scenes battle that got Richmond’s new ballpark across home plate (BizSense)
- Mattaponi, Pamunkey tribes offer tribute at governor's mansion in Richmond (Times-Dispatch)
The editor's desk
Reader Cindy Martin sent this photo recently with a note that the best way to walk around Richmond is to look up.
As the holiday lights turn on this weekend I'm glad we've still got a few more days warm enough for a stroll, and the advice is well heeded - sometimes the best views are right above us.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
