Category Archives: Choosing Wisely

Open Letters to Council and School Board: The People’s Will

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In these times of intense political division, one point of agreement appears to transcend ideological differences. Whether they lean right or left or stand somewhere in the middle, most Americans concur with the notion that elections have consequences. The most apparent of these, of course, is which individual will occupy the seat that was in play. A secondary consequence of some races, though, is that new vacancies may have resulted from an incumbent officeholder getting elected to a different position. Continue reading →

Open Letter to City Council: One-Way Respect, Incompetence, Illegality, and Broken Promises

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Mr. Mayor and Honorable Members of Council:

In a constitutional republic, the principal duty of an elected representative of the people is to understand the needs and desires of those they serve. Honest, direct, and frequent communication with one’s constituents is the preferred means of staying apprised of their views. Those sorts of interactions enable elected officials to benefit from the collective experience and wisdom of the members of their community. Your recent action demonstrates your underdeveloped appreciation of those republican ideals. Continue reading →

Open Letter to City Council: How Do You Solve a Problem like the Monument?

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Mr. Mayor and Honorable Members of Council:

I write to oppose your approach to settling the fate of the Portsmouth Confederate Monument. Although I support its eventual relocation to a cemetery that already houses the remains of Confederate soldiers, I have three objections to the manner in which you are currently proceeding. The first is that taking up this matter in a virtual meeting of city council does not comply with Attorney General Herring’s guidance in the Sullivan Opinion regarding the legal limitations to which such meetings are subject. As I have pointed out on prior occasions regarding other items of council business, this matter does not qualify as “keeping the lights on in city hall” during the pandemic. Unlike the items to which I previously objected for the same reason, 20-188 likely will elicit a strong reaction from members of the public unhappy with whatever you may decide, resulting in legal action to overturn the decision. I ask you not to invite yet another court battle for the city.
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Open Letter to City Council: A Monumental Question

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Mr. Mayor and Honorable Members of City Council:

I am writing to oppose adoption of an ordinance authorizing the transfer of $250,000 from a contingency line item in the FY 2020 Adopted Budget to the Department of Engineering to fund removal of the monument located in Town Square. My reasons are as follows: Continue reading →

Unsolicited Bid, Undesired Outcomes

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Many of my generation understood the advice, “beware of Greeks bearing gifts”, as a literary allusion. According to The Iliad, the ultimate destruction of Troy was the consequence of an imprudent decision by the leaders of that city. What ten years of conventional war waged by Greek invaders had failed to accomplish came to pass when the defenders of the city misinterpreted the purpose of the wooden horse left in the wake of their adversaries’ apparent withdrawal from the field of battle. Unbeknownst to the Trojans, what they thought was a grudging tribute to their steadfastness and determination was in fact a trap that led to their undoing. Continue reading →

A High Stakes Gamble

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Revised October 13, 2018

As Tropical Storm Michael was making its entrance into Hampton Roads yesterday evening, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Leadership Steering Committee (MLKLSC) gathered for a meeting. Based on subsequent social media postings from some who attended, the political action committee appears to have amended its list of endorsed standard bearers. Previously, MLKLSC had announced endorsements of Candidates Paul Battle and Shannon Glover, leaving one contested seat unclaimed. Last night, though, the group added Candidate Mark Whitaker, who recently received a suspension from city council due to an adverse decision in a judicial proceeding. The suspension also resulted in his disqualification as a candidate for reelection this year. Continue reading →

Publisher’s Notebook: Why Recycling Is in Turmoil

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Two months ago, as I sat outside the meeting room in which the board of the Southeast Public Service Authority (SPSA) was conferring in closed session, I overhead bits and pieces of a conversation among representatives of various waste hauling and recycling companies. Today’s edition of the Virginian-Pilot contains not only the essence of that hallway discussion but additional context for it. Portsmouth residents should pay it special heed for the article indirectly explains why our former recycling contractor was unable to offer the same terms for handling our materials going forward as in the contract that recently expired. If you only read one item from the V-P today, I strongly recommend that it be this one.

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Open Letter to City Council: Post-2017 Election Deck Reshuffle

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With the election of Council Member Paige Cherry as Portsmouth City Treasurer, a vacancy on city council will occur in relatively short order. No doubt, council is already engaged in backroom conversations about who will fill CM Cherry’s slot once he resigns to assume his new position. Under Virginia Code and the city charter, the mayor and remaining council members have the authority to appoint an interim replacement. Since CM Cherry took his seat in January of 2015, someone running in the 2018 local election will replace the appointee next fall. Continue reading →

Resource List for November 7, 2017, Local Elections

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During this election cycle, PortsmouthCityWatch.org has put significant resources into capturing live, public appearances by candidates for Portsmouth Constitutional Offices. We are particularly appreciative of the Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance, People for Portsmouth PAC, the Portsmouth Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, and Port Norfolk Civic League for allowing us to be their media partner for candidate events they hosted. Additionally, we invited all to all ballot candidates to sit for interviews with us and/or to provide written statements for publication on PortsmouthCityWatch.org. Sadly, only two candidates chose to follow through on those invitations. Listed below, then, are links to the videos collected from those efforts. Continue reading →

Open Letter to City Council re: Confederate Monument Resolution 17-449

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Mr. Mayor and Honorable Members of City Council:

I write to express my opposition to the resolution of intent to relocate the Portsmouth Confederate Monument. Although I agree in principle with the objective, I believe that the diversity of community opinion on the matter and the intensity of feeling the discussion engenders on all sides of the issue argues for more dialogue among our citizenry as well as an advisory referendum on whether or not to relocate it. Continue reading →