NORFOLK
A publicly chastened commissioner of the revenue said Wednesday that she'd learned a lesson from an audit of her credit cards. But Sharon McDonald said she still believes her spending on extended lobbying trips to Richmond was justified.
McDonald, who has served as the city's chief tax assessor for 14 years, was reprimanded by the mayor Tuesday night after the City Council received a report on her spending. The council also restricted her future travel spending.
"I've already admitted to mistakes in judgment," McDonald said Wednesday. "Obviously, I must do better. And I will."
However, McDonald said her tens of thousands of dollars in expenses while lobbying the General Assembly were important in securing additional state money for her office. Although McDonald is a state employee, her salary and the salary of her staff are supplemented by city funds.
Her travel budget comes entirely from the city coffers.
"My advocacy in Richmond is still very important, and critical to my office," she said. "I don't think those were unwise expenditures."
She added that an expanded, citywide audit of employee credit card use was necessary. City Auditor John Sanderlin already has planned this month to begin auditing some of Norfolk's 440 other credit card accounts.
His audit of McDonald's account, which was released late Monday, found that McDonald had spent months in Richmond hotels and had spent thousands of dollars on meals, mostly over the past three years.
More than $30,000 of purchases had no receipts or lacked detailed receipts.
While some of the expenses were reimbursed by the Commissioner of the Revenue Association of Virginia, nearly $11,000 that McDonald spent in 2008 was not reimbursed. In at least one case, McDonald's advocacy conflicted directly with the city's own lobbying efforts.
On Tuesday night, the City Council unanimously voted to curtail McDonald's spending. From now on, the commissioner of the revenue will have to receive the city manager's permission before traveling.
The council also cut one position from McDonald's budget and maintained a hiring freeze in her office.
"This is the first time I've seen council totally agree on the measures that need to be taken," Vice Mayor Anthony Burfoot said. "There was not one soul who had a different point of view here."
McDonald said Wednesday that she had already made changes to make sure she and her staff kept every receipt and documented all expenses.
She added that she hoped to convince the city manager and council that filling the five open positions in her office was critical.
"Without a full staff in this office, the city is risking a loss in revenue," McDonald said. "I feel confident the hiring and budgetary freeze will be lifted soon."
She said she planned to stress to the council and city manager the need for lobbying on behalf of constitutional officers.
"We need to make sure everybody has an understanding of the importance of getting state funding," she said. "It doesn't come without aggressive lobbying, whether it's me or someone else."
But council members said that if McDonald wants to continue her push with state delegates, it will need to be on someone else's dime.
"The question is, should she be lobbying with city money?" Burfoot said. "That's where I draw the line. My answer is no. If she needs to lobby, the state needs to make available funds for her to do so."
Pilot writer Patrick Wilson contributed to this report.
Meghan Hoyer, (757) 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com
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McDonald and Burfoot
McDonald's lobbying efforts apparently were designed to elicit state funds for Norfolk's use. Burfoot's apparently suggesting that the STATE pay for Norfolk to lobby to obtain additional state funds. How does that make any sense at all??
Sharon McDonald
One question, How can she still keep her job? From overspending, taking a male assistant w/ her on trips (not approved) hiring her daughters and paying them more than others, charges for alcohol, missing receipts for over $30,000 (and that is just what we are told). Anyone else working at a company would be FIRED! Her name does not deserve to be on the little stickers on businesses "Commissioner of the Revenue" of Norfolk. And her callous response "Obviously, i must do better, and i will", Yeah I guess you will be sneakier now because you got caught... Just remember what comes around goes around lady.
Two words....
Constitutional Officer. Autonomous. No Supervisor... other than the voter. Get the picture? Oops...more than two words.
Ms.McDonald must have earned her degrees from....
the University of Dewey,Cheatem,& How. In WVEC's "raw video" press conference yesterday, her math just doesn't add up...again. First she says,through her lobbying efforts from 2008 to 2010,she secured state funds of $500K PER YEAR for her office for a tax savings of 1.5 million to us. Huh? Secondly, without filling the 5 positions that were "approved", McDonald claims the city could loose $500k per MONTH. That means each of these positions would need to generate $100k in revenue per month. Again, Huh?
In April 2009 she supported the forgiveness of an $81,000 back tax bill and the penalties and interest owed by First Baptist Church on incoming producing real estate it owned in Norfolk. So much for her mantra of everyone paying "their fair share of taxes".
Ms. McDonald thinks that by throwing big numbers out, no one will question the validity of those numbers. Her accounting acumen has been proven suspect. After watching her press conference, her contrition is as well. Please VP, check out her numbers, and let us know the truth.
Over $30,000!
I have a company credit card that is to be used for hotel and rental car only. Upon my return from a business trip, I present receipts for hotel and rental car and the company pays the bill. If I were to have charges for anything other than hotel or rental car, I have to pay it from my own pocket. How in the world can she have over $30,000 with either no or inadequate receipts? I could not get away with $10 for a movie ticket before red flags go up and if I didn't pay it pronto, my card would be yanked and guess who could not go on any further business trips? And if I could not go on the trips, my value to the company would go down and I'd be looking for work fairly soon.
Who pays for these bills and doesn't get valid receipts before paying them? What did she say when asked for receipts? Sorry, my dog ate it? Many people right now would be grateful for a job that paid $30,000 a year and she gets away with just sweeping $30,000 under the rug? I hope voters do in fact remember this and whoever runs against her is probably a shoe-in.
Imagine How Her Staff Must Feel
As angry as her constituents are -- and with excellent reason -- imagine how you'd feel if you worked in McDonald's office.
[Disclaimer: I am not a Norfolk, state or Commissioner of the Revenue employee.]
McDonald's refusal to observe either the spirit or letter of the laws and rules has already caused the firing of two subordinates. The widespread mistrust she has fostered has made it nearly impossible for CoR staffers to get any cooperation from other Norfolk city of Virginia state employees. And, with the de facto freeze on CoR bbudgets for the rest of the year, how will MacDonald's staff get anything done anyway?
For the morale of the CoR employees if nothing else, the Norfolk City Council and the governor's executive office in Richmond have to force McDonald out of office by tomorrow at the latest.
Agreed
I must be pretty hard on her staff to be told there will be no payraises this year, only to read the Pilot a week later and find she gave four raises, two in excess of 9%. Can't imagine morale is too good right now.
If anyone believes this
I have some waterfront property in Arizona for sale. And if "she needs to do better", then I would think her performance is marginal at best. One would think those trusted with the people's money would be more conscious. Keelhauling is too good for these kind of "officials".
TRANSLATION....
"My advocacy in Richmond is still very important, and critical to my office," she said. "I don't think those were unwise expenditures."
Advocacy is a relative term.
Critical is a relative term.
Unwise expenditure.....translation: expensive spending....lol!
Required viewing
Everyone commenting should to to WVEC.com and look at the raw video of her statement. Would also like to see the questions she answered. Not posted.
"aready admitted to mistakes in judgement" - where?
served for the "past 14 years" - less than 13 (and she read it from her statement)
auditor found issues that "may have been perceived as questionable"
There was no contrition in the statement. There was only, I brought $500,000 additional dollars to the city each of 3 years. I'd like to see proof of that. Just as I'd like to see proof of the $35 million (I think it the amount she uses) additional revenue her office has produced for the city.
This woman doesn't know how long she as been in office, that makes the answer to that question - too long! She is constitutionally incapable of saying "I made a mistake". She doesn't know what her job is - she sets up payment plans, she lobbies in Richmond, she "makes sure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes". Her job is not lobbying or collecting. Her job is assessing. She should make sure that all are assessed according to state guidelines, the Treasurer is suppose to make sure everyone pays. Maybe symantical,