If Samuel B. Parker had his way, he’d be playing shortstop for the Chicago Cubs.
While his baseball aspirations didn’t quite pan out, he’s pleased with his current position as a city politics reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
“It really is my dream job,” says the 28-year-old of covering local government.
Growing up with a father in the Navy, Parker relocated around the United States frequently as a youngster. After finishing high school, Parker moved to Richmond and found a job with World Horizons USA, a religious nonprofit that assists with refugee resettlement. Working in research and communications, he often traveled oversees for his job to far flung locales like Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt.
“It was an incredible experience,” he says. “I really expanded my horizons and my understanding of the world.”
Inspired by government whistleblower Edward Snowden to pursue journalism, Parker completed an online bachelor’s in communication with Regent University before getting hired as a copyeditor for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2022. As he was being interviewed for the position, Parker informed the publication of his desire to become a reporter; six months later he was moved over to the metro desk.
In addition to his standard reporting duties, Parker undertook an audit of the city’s credit card program. A subsequent internal audit made public in June found that roughly $5 million in questionable purchases had been made on employee credit cards due to lax oversight.
“I just spent hours in a spreadsheet going over vendors and dollar amounts and transaction types,” says Parker of his audit. “Now that credit card program is being restructured completely.”
Last year, Parker reported on the campaign contributions of Tavares Floyd, a one-time City Council candidate who generated headlines for his questionable claims. Parker found that several people Floyd had listed as campaign contributors hadn’t actually given him money.
“He had reported receiving well over $100,000 in donations for his campaign, which is a wild amount for a City Council election,” Parker says. “The numbers didn’t quite add up.”
Floyd was indicted on four felony counts related to campaign finance violations in October.
Parker’s investigative efforts won him a 2025 Open Government Award from the Virginia Coalition for Open Government.
When he isn’t digging through public records, Parker enjoys playing racquetball, watching the Chicago Cubs, growing tomatoes and performing in the musical project James Parker.
