Richmond Finance Director holds rally after workers fired, tells workers: ‘We’re not hitting’

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond’s Finance Director expressed dismay to his employees about the state of the union, in an audio that was secretly recorded during a staff meeting and released to CBS 6.

As CBS 6 previously reported, the department has been criticized by residents and business owners for the past year over food tax collection issues and improper fees.

“I’ll tell you honestly, we’re not hitting the mark. We’re not,” Finance Director Sheila White told her staff, according to the recording. “It is disappointing to see how we deliver services to the citizens. It’s disappointing to hear the comments about how that service was delivered and how they’ve been dealing with the same issue year after year.”

Richmond City spokeswoman Margaret Ekam confirmed that a meeting was held last Tuesday “after certain employees were terminated.”

“Director Sheila White told the Finance team on Tuesday, our priority is to serve the community and we don’t have a brand,” Ekam said in a statement.

The union representing financial workers said at least five workers were fired last Tuesday.

Three of them spoke to CBS 6, saying their suspensions were unfair and without explanation.

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“Why did they leave me yesterday? I have no idea. They didn’t give me a reason,” Janice Bishop said.

Bishop, Deshawnda Johnson, and Jasmine Osborne worked in the business department, handling taxes and claims.

They were hired just a few months ago, but their termination letters said the city could fire them without cause because it happened during the probationary period.

“We didn’t get any written warnings, any warnings, nothing in advance,” Bishop said.

The staff said that the Finance Department was dysfunctional before they arrived and relied on old methods.

“Just seeing the amount of paper that was there and there was no rhythm or reason to it, and you were just given a bin of paper. And they were just like, ‘do this,'” Osborne said.

“Do you feel like they are giving you the right training and processes?” reporter Tyler Layne asked.

They said: “At all, we were not trained.

Ekam disputed the claim, saying, “All employees are given training that is relevant to their position.”

During White’s staff meeting, he did not talk about specific employees, but said he had to make “difficult decisions” such as “reorganizing the department” and “putting positions in place.” [standard operating procedures] and manners.”

“And I’m going to hold everyone around me accountable for doing their part, and sometimes that means this is not the right job for you,” White said.

He added that his team is working to ensure they have the right people, processes and procedures in place.

Therefore, we are working on these three at the same time because they have been neglected in the City of Richmond for a long time,” said White.

While also not mentioning specific employees, White told employees that checks were recently found on employees’ desks during the investigation.

“I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to say, ‘Hey guys, you don’t have any checks on your desk. That is internal control. It puts you at risk. It endangers the city. You can’t do that.’ And more, doing desk checks, and getting checks on people’s desks like I didn’t say anything,” White said.

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Ekam did not respond to CBS 6’s questions about those checks and why the situation is a problem.

Bishop, Johnson, and Osborne said they were not found with checks on their desks but they know of other employees who were found with checks on their desks.

They said no discussion about the checks was brought up when they were terminated.

Finally, White reminded his staff to focus on the mission of “serving the citizens.”

“They have high expectations for us. That’s why they’re killing us in the press, and to be honest, we’ve earned it,” White said.

In the audio, White was again heard saying that members of the management team were threatened last Tuesday. He said he reported the threats to Richmond Police, and an investigation will be conducted.

CBS 6 reached out to the Richmond Police Department, and a spokesperson said the department has no records on file from White that day. He said there are no reports of events that took place at City Hall this month.

Ekam did not respond to CBS 6’s request for clarification on the threats and how they were reported.

This is an ongoing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.