In a shocking exposé, 1199 SEIU President George Gresham was implicated for allegedly using the powerful healthcare union as a personal “piggy bank” for lavish personal spending. Gresham stands accused of misappropriations, including $60,000 for his daughter’s travel as his caregiver, $300,000 on concerts tied to family reunions, $17,000 for a hotel during dialysis treatment, $86,000 for South Africa trips, and $1 million for a no-show job.
For context, unions like 1199 SEIU often prioritize their leftist political agendas and insider enrichment over the interests of their workers. In many cases, the lavish spending is enabled by unchecked Democratic dominance in deep blue cities.
Reacting to the troubling findings, spokesperson Bryn Lloyd-Bollard claimed the union is in full compliance with the law that all the expenses were “either incurred in the normal course of Union activity, and at market rates, or were expressly authorized by the Union’s Executive Council.”
Continuing, the spokesperson claimed, “Allegations of financial impropriety are categorically false.” Adding, “Our expenditures are vetted and normal for an organization of our size and scope, and to suggest otherwise is a misreading and cherry-picking of our Union’s financial records or based on falsehoods.”
Addressing the individual claims, Lloyd-Bollard said he “never once” witnessed Gresham fall asleep during meetings and deflected by saying “1199’s origins and development have always been tied to broader struggles for civil rights and social justice, which is how it has grown and thrived.”
However, statements from former staffers tell a different story. One anonymous former staffer said, “Whatever George needs, they find the money to do it,” and “They would be better off taking that money and buying lotto tickets.”
Unsurprisingly, this is far from the first case of major democratic corruption. As we reported, the Richmond, Virginia, Electoral Board, comprising two Republicans and one Democrat, has voted to accept the resignation of Registrar Keith Balmer following an investigation that uncovered evidence of overspending, nepotism, and other issues.
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The story was broken in a December 4, 2024, article from the Richmonder, Board Chair Starlet Stevens gave Registrar Keith Balmer the option of resigning but clarified that he would be leaving his office regardless of his decision. She said, “If he didn’t want to resign, we were unanimous that we would have him removed.”
However, Balmer offered excuses in the face of his resignation. The allegedly corrupt official stated that, while he was proud of his work, he acknowledged “administrative sloppiness.” While disputing several of the specific allegations, he said that there were cases of “mistakes” in his role.
Making a half-hearted apology, Balmer said, “At the end of the day, the citizens of this city need to have a registrar in place who is also following the city guidelines, and that is where my office has fallen short. And I take full responsibility for that.” He added that he chose to resign because it was easier than a court case, saying, “I just don’t need that sort of energy, especially not around the holidays.”
Reacting to the scandal, Balmer called it “the wonderful roller coaster” that has made him “a much stronger and more confident person.” Concluding his remarks, he said, “God has another plan for me. I believe that, so this is, you know, not likely the last time you heard of Keith Balmer.”
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