Samuel B. Parker

@SamuelParkerRTD

Reporter for @RTDNews. Believer in human progress. Probably watching the Chicago Cubs. Samuel ≠ Sam | 📧 [email protected],🚦Signal: sbparker.01

Richmond, VA

Joined June 2023

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Samuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 22

Housing officials hired a private firm that paid Gilpin Court residents $20 each to attend a City Council meeting and express support for the proposed transfer of the housing project. The company knocked on doors and drove residents to City Hall in vans. richmond.com/news/local/gov…

SamuelParkerRTD's tweet card. Residents were paid $20 by Venable Community Services to attend a June 9 meeting and show public support for the proposed transfer of Gilpin to the Richmond Development Corporation.

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Samuel B. Parker Retweeted

Graham Moomaw@gmoomaw · Jul 14

Re-upping a story that ran while I was on vacation... Richmond cut a deal to get its inspector general to leave with almost $30K in severance pay. The contract includes sweeping secrecy measures that say the city won't even disclose the deal exists. richmonder.org/richmond-cut-a…

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Samuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 21

In response to a draft copy of our FOIA suit, city officials relented and, on Friday evening, released additional spending documents for Reginald Thomas.

SSamuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 17

With (a lot of) help from our attorneys, we're disputing the city's decision to withhold spending records for Reginald Thomas. We previously reported that Thomas had spent ~$2M at companies connected to himself and associates. Then, officials decided to stop disclosing records.

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Samuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 18

The Richmond public housing authority's CEO says he is working to avoid evicting tenants who owe less than $5K in rent. But last month, the authority filed eviction proceedings against 7 residents in 3 days. All 7 owed less than $5K, court records show. richmond.com/news/local/gov…

SamuelParkerRTD's tweet card. RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith previously said the RRHA "really wants to work with" tenants who owe less than $5,000, but court filings show they're still being evicted.

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Samuel B. Parker Retweeted

Graham Moomaw@gmoomaw · Jul 16

When the PowerPoint makes you go 👀 In a farewell appearance before Council members, Richmond’s departing finance director showed a slide saying there’s “pockets of secrecy and sabotage” in the office richmonder.org/as-richmonds-d…

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Samuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 16

Since 2023, officials have spent $60,500 to have private consulting firms conduct City Hall's HR investigations. Documents show one of those was the probe into former Inspector General Jim Osuna. richmond.com/news/local/gov…

SamuelParkerRTD's tweet card. Asked on July 3 how much officials had spent on HR investigations by private firms since January 2023, the spokesperson said officials were “pulling that number together.”

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Samuel B. Parker Retweeted

Luca Powell@luca_a_powell · Jul 9

In March, federal ATF analysts tried to catch 4 fugitives from Virginia's Farmville ICE detention center. They tapped into Richmond's Flock cameras, which the department says was a violation. In response, Richmond police will cut off all federal access to the camera network.…

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Samuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 10

Sheila White is out as director of Richmond's Department of Finance. richmond.com/article_8ce856…

SamuelParkerRTD's tweet card. Sheila White, director of City Hall's Department of Finance, has resigned, a city spokesperson told The Times-Dispatch on Thursday evening.

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Samuel B. Parker@SamuelParkerRTD · Jul 10

BREAKING: Sheila White, director of Richmond's Department of Finance, has resigned. Her last day will be July 25.

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