Former Front Royal-Warren County EDA chief, Jennifer McDonald
Front Royal hanky panky. The Commonwealth Attorney of Warren County has asked to convene a special grand jury to probe “possible criminal activity” by the former executive director, Jennifer McDonald, of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority, reports the Northern Virginia Daily. The request follows the Tuesday filing of a $17.6 million lawsuit by the EDA against nine defendants alleging financial improprieties including loans, use of lines of credit for certain projects, and authorization of work and purchase agreements of which the board was ignorant. “We, like many others, were misled and unaware of the extent and magnitude of this scheme,” said that board in a statement.
Meanwhile, back in the City of Richmond…
Sloppy accounting. An audit of Richmond city finances discovered poor accounting practices going back to the tenure of former Mayor Dwight C. Jones. Reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch: The audit “also found problems with the figures [Mayor Levar] Stoney’s administration said it had reconciled and released last summer.” Five of six accounts tied to school maintenance and construction did not have accurate balances, the result of erroneous or inappropriate charges and other sloppiness in accounting.”
And a $30 million school construction cost overrun. From the RTD: Three new schools being built in Richmond through a meals tax increase will cost $30 million more than originally projected. “It is now clear the initial estimates, provided in 2017, under-represented the true cost of construction,” said the Joint Construction Team, a group of city and school district officials tasked with overseeing the process of building schools, in a joint statement this week.
