The report says the discretionary audit examined whether Adofo’s expenditures were in compliance with laws and guidelines.
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor released an audit alleging that ANC 8C Chair Salim Adofo used funds for political activity.
The audit states that Adofo used $2,225 for partisan political activities and an additional $2,535 in personal services spending, which lacked the proper documentation to determine whether it was for ANC use or political activity.
Adofo previously ran for the Ward 8 councilmember seat during the special elections earlier this year; ultimately, losing to incumbent Trayon White.
The report says the discretionary audit examined whether Adofo’s expenditures were in compliance with laws and guidelines, specifically whether all expenses were properly documented, supported, and used for public purposes within the commission area.
The office of the auditor found that a total of $17,881 of the ANC’s expenses could not be verified as allowable ANC expenses, including:
- Eight payments 8C made to Adofo totaling $6,804 were reimbursed for ANC purposes or political activity.
- 8C awarded $4,000 in grants in FY 2022 that did not comply with legal requirements.
- 8C spent $1,378 without sufficient documentation to establish what the funds were for.
Now the office of auditor is recommending that:
- Adofo reimburses the District $2,225 for photos used during his campaign run.
- Create a policy with specific fiduciary responsibilities of the Treasurer and sign quarterly financial reports.
- Create a policy for the purchase of equipment and personal use of cell phones to ensure equipment is returned in the future.
WUSA9 reached out to Adofo for a statement regarding the findings of the audit.
“ANC 8C would like to thank the Auditor for their work and partnership in helping ensure we
are good stewards of public funds. All Commissioners serve as volunteers, and we both need
and welcome support, guidance, and clear standards. We are committed to operating with
integrity and to correcting any errors that may have occurred.
We recognize that some of the past issues identified were related to policies that had not yet
caught up with practical realities. For example, with respect to reimbursements: many of the
vendors the Commission worked with during the audit period did not accept checks, and at
that time Commissions were not permitted to have debit cards. This made it necessary for
Commissioners to use personal funds and then seek reimbursement. That structural problem
has now been resolved with the authorization of debit cards, and ANC 8C is fully utilizing this
updated tool to reduce the need for reimbursements and strengthen compliance.
We also faced challenges navigating the transition through COVID-19 and the return to in-
person meetings. At that time, the Commission did not have a database of residents nor
established systems for outreach. When COVID began, we struggled with quorum and
meeting attendance. In response, ANC 8C made a good-faith effort to adapt by incorporating
text messaging and canvassing as outreach tools. These changes significantly improved
resident participation and helped us better meet the spirit and purpose of open, accessible
public meetings.
We respectfully disagree that some of our expenditures were not approved properly. It is the
Commission’s understanding that if an expenditure is approved in the annual budget, that
serves as sufficient approval for that item within that category for the remainder of the same
fiscal year. It is our belief that this is the case with the Commission’s expenditures that were
questioned in the audit.
We respectfully disagree as well with the recommendation regarding reimbursement for
photography services. While it is true that Commissioners do not always attend every
scheduled event, including those referenced by the Auditor, we do not believe that uneven
attendance diminishes the validity, merit, or intent of events approved by the Commission.
Once an event is authorized, vendors must still be paid for work performed, regardless of
which individual Commissioners are present.
We also respectfully disagree with the Auditor’s position regarding the Commission’s ability
to collect mobile devices from departing Commissioners. As volunteer officials without
enforcement authority, we do not have the capacity to compel a departing Commissioner to
return a device. We must rely on the individual’s willingness to return property, and we will
continue to make good-faith efforts to secure returns and document those efforts.
We appreciate that the Auditor recognized that, in the prior period, a substantial portion of the
administrative workload often fell on the Chairperson. That concentration of responsibilities at
times became overwhelming and may have contributed to administrative errors. We have
taken this seriously and are actively correcting it. The current Commissioners have worked to
rebalance responsibilities, ensure that minutes are more detailed and accurate, and strengthen
internal processes so errors are less likely to occur.
In summary, ANC 8C has made, and will continue to make, a good-faith, best-effort attempt
to comply with all applicable policies and recommendations. We are committed to continual
improvement, transparency, and responsible stewardship of public funds, and we look forward
to ongoing collaboration with the Auditor and our community as we move forward.”