Dear Charlottesville Electoral Board Members:

We write to express our extreme dismay and disappointment in your actions as members of the Charlottesville Electoral Board.

Your continued refusal to address the mounting problems caused by Registrar Sheri Iachetta's willful misappropriation of public funds has sadly produced:

• significant erosion of public trust in the city's Registrar and the Electoral Board, and
• severe loss of public confidence in the judgment of the current Electoral Board members.

Consequently, we demand that you:

• immediately place the Registrar, Sheri Iachetta, on administrative leave; and,
• subsequently resign your positions as members of the Charlottesville Electoral Board.

The Charlottesville City Attorney has confirmed that all employees of the Registrar's office are considered city employees and should be subject to the city's standard personnel policies. Those policies are clear. The moment the misappropriation became known by the Electoral Board, the employee should have been immediately suspended pending further internal investigation.¹ Your lack of knowledge or knowing refusal to abide by the relevant existing city policy is incomprehensible.

Your public announcement on October 17, 2014, that the Electoral Board was "taking no action" on this issue (which came to public notice no later than August 22, 2014) incredibly stands as de facto acceptance of Ms. Iachetta's misappropriation or embezzlement of at least $7,195.86.

The fact that your employee was subsequently charged in mid-September with multiple felonies for misuse of public funds and assets-again, with no Electoral Board action- makes your inertia even more appalling and disheartening.

The disturbing revelation that the Registrar repeatedly mishandled the office's credit card accounts has similarly been ignored by this Electoral Board, even though the Board was aware of these facts no later than August 1, 2014.

Clearly your actions--either through neglect of duty or through incompetence--have had a material adverse effect on the Registrar's office.²

The public's perception of the current Registrar's trustworthiness has been fatally undermined. With that loss, public confidence in the fairness and integrity of our voting process and results, a citizen's most precious and cherished democratic institution, is seriously damaged if not entirely destroyed. How much time will pass before that vital trust can be restored?

While Ms. Iachetta's actions created this problem, your actions--or failures to act--have made the problem infinitely worse. Your culpability cannot be ignored.

We have lost all confidence in your individual and collective judgment. We are particularly concerned that the Charlottesville Electoral Board bears the responsibility and has the sole authority to interview, hire and supervise the next city Registrar. Why would any member of the public trust the current Electoral Board members to get this essential duty right when you have so grievously failed to remedy the current, clear-cut situation of wrongdoing?

We will appeal to both local political party committees to take whatever appropriate legal action is needed to replace each of you.

We will appeal to the voters of Charlottesville to take whatever appropriate legal action is needed to replace each of you.

Finally, we will recommend that the Charlottesville City Council direct the City Manager to develop a memorandum of understanding with the Electoral Board that both outlines city policies that pertain to the Registrar and all employees in the Office of Voter Registration and establishes a protocol for explaining office management and supervisory duties to the members of the Electoral Board. We will also recommend that City Council direct that a full audit be performed on the Office of Voter Registration and the Electoral Board and that the audit's findings be made available to the Electoral Board and the public.

Sincerely,

Tom Vandever, former mayor and City Council member
Nancy O'Brien, former mayor and City Council member; former chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee
John Conover, former vice-mayor and City Council member; former chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee
Jennifer Brown, former Treasurer, City of Charlottesville; former chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee
Barbara Null, chair, Charlottesville Republican Committee
Pam DeGuzman, co-chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee
Erin Monaghan, co-chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee

¹This policy is in no way related to, or subservient to, any possibility of criminal charges. Even if there were no potential for court action, it is the responsibility of any supervisory person or body to enforce personnel rules.

²Section 24.2-233 of the Code of Virginia provides for the removal of certain appointed officers "for neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties when that neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties has a material adverse effect on the conduct of the office." Section 24.2-234 specifically applies these criteria to Electoral Board members.