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Something Old, Something New?

As Council Member Charles Whitehurst rides into the sunset tomorrow, Council Member-Elect Doug Smith will take his oath of office along with returning Members William Moody and Marlene Randall. Anyone who paid attention to the May 2 election, of course, knew that this was in the works. The unknown plot twist, however, is who will end up in the position of Vice Mayor.

To assume that Mr. Moody will retain his status as Mayor James W. Holley's back up is to make a leap of faith. Recent events have thrown Council Member Moody's ability to muster the majority necessary for his re-election into doubt. Among these are:

1. the departure of Council Member Whitehurst, Mr. Moody's ally from their first election in 1998;

2. the ill will Mr. Moody engendered throughout the dispute over the Garden of Prayer/Friendship Temple, particularly the formulation of a settlement agreement without the participation of the three dissenting council members;

3. during the meeting to adopt the FY 2007 budget, Mr. Moody's grandstanding on dropping the real estate tax rate below what management had proposed but without offering corresponding expenditure cuts to keep the budget in balance; and

4. the stronger showing of Mr. Moody's colleague and electoral teammate, Council Member Randall, in the May election.

If Mr. Moody has exhausted the reserve of goodwill among his colleagues that gained him the title of Vice Mayor two years ago, competing ambitions might preclude his returning to the position by default. As many as four of his peers may be competitors for a job that includes chairing the personnel committee and recommending board and commission appointments. Former principal Marlene Randall is no stranger to being in charge, and she has increasingly claimed her share of the spotlight during council deliberations. As a successful small business owner and one-time candidate for the Virginia Senate, Ms. Psimas has leadership background on her resume. Former School Board Chair Ray Smith, who has hands-on experience with guiding unruly hordes, in recent months has often prodded the Mayor, respectfully but firmly, to keep council proceedings on track. Any of the three might aspire to assume a more prominent role on council.

Whether Council Member Heretick would throw his hat in the ring is difficult to gauge. One who has kept his own counsel much of the time, the Garden of Prayer/Friendship Temple dispute having been a notable exception, he may lack the team player credentials to garner the backing necessary for election as vice mayor. His frequent conversations with the Virginian-Pilot editorial board, which resulted in their publicly criticizing council actions, are not likely to have endeared him to some of his colleagues. On the other hand, Mr. Heretick's political aspirations may lie in other directions, so he may not be interested in this particular job.

At 3:30 P. M. tomorrow council will meet behind closed doors to work out the succession. Following the oath of office ceremony at 5:00, they will convene briefly to "elect" the Vice Mayor, and, perhaps, to announce the new liaison alignments necessitated by the departure of Mr. Whitehurst and arrival of Mr. Doug Smith. Whatever the outcome, it should stimulate discussion among the politically involved.

The Closed Meeting that Wasn't

Advertised as a closed meeting, today's special city council session couldn't find the votes it needed to withdraw from public view. Council Member Psimas did her duty, reading the scripted motion that set out the exclusions to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act that allowed the body to deliberate in private. Council Member Smith provided the second. No sooner had those words left his mouth, however, than Council Member Whitehurst jumped in with a substitute motion, seconded by Vice Mayor Moody. Leave it open, Mr. Whitehurst urged. Do the business of the public in public. When the city clerk tallied the "ayes" (Members Moody, Randall, and Whitehurst) and "nays" (Mayor Holley and Members Psimas and Smith),  the result was a tie, killing the substitute motion.

With the substitute dead, the original motion was still on the table. This time the mayor and Members Psimas and Smith voted in the affirmative, and their colleagues, in the negative. The closed meeting motion couldn't muster the majority needed to put it into effect. As Council Member Heretick was running late, it was a three-three deadlock. The city manager looked to the mayor for guidance. Dr. Holley directed him to proceed.

For the next hour the manager, council, the city attorney, the communications director, and consultant Bill Luther discussed the ins and outs of the revised nTelos contract proposal. Mr. Oliver suggested that it met the definition of the ideal solution in that no one on either side was completely happy with it. (See the outline below.)

In the end, council decided to consider the matter in a special meeting scheduled for 5 P.M., Wednesday, March 30, in the City Council Chamber. Citizens who sign up that day will be able to speak on the issue. Assuming PortsmouthCityWatch obtains a copy of the proposed contract prior to the meeting date, we will post it for public perusal.
nTelos Agreement Outline March 2005

It's True: Camp Silver Beach Is No Mobile Phone Mecca

And it's the only show in town. No taverns, no movie theaters - it's only what you brought with you. The bright lights of Exmore are nine miles of twisty road behind you. All the social life consists of "bonding" with your colleagues.

YMCA Camp Silver Beach, Jamesville, VA
 

City Announces Retreat Agenda, Well, Sort Of

A question from citizen Martha Ann Creecy at the September 14 City Council meeting turned into a protracted discussion of the expectations for the retreat. Interim City Manager James Oliver explained that the choice of location on the Eastern Shore was intended to separate the participants from normal distractions (mobile telephones, pagers, etc.) and allow the newly constituted council to build productive relationships. He said the policy sessions that have been the rule in previous retreats would be absent from this one.

Vice Mayor Moody stated that Council had agreed that citizens who made the trek to the YMCA camp would receive reimbursement for their tolls by submitting receipts to the City Clerk on their return. He assured citizens that the city was not attempting to put its deliberations beyond their reach.

One local council watcher who plans to attend the retreat informed PortsmouthCityWatch that he managed to reserve the last available room proximate to the retreat location. The manager of the Exmore Best Western told him that she only had that one room left due to a cancellation. The manager expressed surprise at the unusually high demand for rooms on a Thursday night.

Museum Addresses Fresnel Lens Issues

School Board Swearing-in: Portsmouth's Best Kept Secret?

Whether the secrecy is owing to a heightened threat of terrorist attack, an institutional inferiority complex (nobody cares, do they?), or underdeveloped public relations skills, news about the oath of office ceremony for School Board Members-Elect does not appear to have percolated "beyond the parkway" (i. e., Crawford Parkway). So, let PCW test your school board IQ in a manner reminiscent of the SOL's. Please bubble-in your selections on your answer sheet with a number two pencil.

1. The date of the oath of office ceremony is:
   A. May 4, 2004 (they did it right after the election)
   B. June 30, 2004
   C. July 4, 2004
   D. November 4, 2004 (what's the rush?)
2. The location of the ceremony is:
   A. the School Board Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd floor
   B. the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 6th floor
   C. Portsmouth Circuit Court, room 3
   D. the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel
3. The ceremony will take place at:
   A. 5 P.M. (to give people with day jobs a chance to attend)
   B. Noon (stop by on your lunch break)
   C. 8:50 A.M.
   D. 7 P.M. (the normal School Board meeting time)
4. The public is:
   A. invited
   B. excluded
   C. irrelevant
   D. none of the above

O. K., please lay all pencils down, and pass your test booklets and answer sheets forward. The correct answers are: 1 B, 2 C, 3 C, and 4 A. You say those selections are counter-intuitive? Maybe so, but then you should have paid closer attention in class. So, if you want to be in the audience, come to Portsmouth Circuit Court, room 3, at 8:50 A.M. on Wednesday, June 30, 2004. Allow a little extra time to clear the metal detectors at the courthouse entrance!

Council to Select Vice Mayor

The vice mayor, elected by the mayor and fellow members of council, presides over council meetings and officiates at other city functions when the mayor is absent. Interestingly, if the position of mayor becomes vacant due to death, disability, or resignation of the incumbent, the vice mayor does not automatically succeed to that position. Although the vice mayor receives no additional remuneration for the stand-in duties, rumors have circulated that at least four members of council are actively seeking the job.

When asked directly about their interest, however, neither Mr. Moody, Ms. Psimas, Ms. Randall, nor Mr. Whitehurst - those most often mentioned as contenders for the post - would declare herself/himself a candidate for the honor. They all expressed a willingness to accept the job if chosen by their colleagues but denied calling in any favors or twisting any arms to ensure they get it.

On Thursday afternoon, though, someone will own the title. That morning council meets to vote on moving into closed session, presumably for the purpose of discussing who will receive the official nod in the public meeting that is to follow at noon. Until then, the outcome is anybody's guess. (See the notice of the closed meeting and the agenda for the public on the "Official" page.)

Oliver's Status Now Official

Unlike recent marathon meetings on the budget, the ceremony was so brief that someone stepping outside to answer a cell phone call could have missed it. Noting the seriousness of the occasion, the Mayor skipped his characteristic opening anecdote and went directly to the text of his remarks. He described Mr. Oliver as someone known for his team leading and team building skills. Although Dr. Holley said that he would praise outgoing City Manager C. W. "Luke" McCoy at a later date, His Honor seemed unable to resist putting in a couple of paragraphs of laudatory remarks about Mr. McCoy. No one in attendance seemed to mind the brief detour.

Following administration of the oath, Mr. Oliver introduced his "high school sweetheart" - his wife Mary, whom he accounted as one of the blessings he has

received in his life - and his oldest daughter, two granddaughters, and a son-in-law. His entourage also included former Landmark Communications publisher Dick Barry, another friendship dating back to Oliver's high school years.

Characterizing his presence in Portsmouth as "a special opportunity to work with a special city," Mr. Oliver described how he had observed the locality working through its changes of the last several years. Of his management style he said, "Nobody's ever called me 'too smart.' I really get my best ideas from other people." (He may have been contrasting his approach with that of former City Manager Daniel Stuck, who many considered exceptionally bright but diplomacy-challenged.)

Except for Council Member Randall, who was still away

on other business, all members of City Council attended this event. Council Member-elect Psimas, however, was the sole incoming member in attendance. Whether the absence of Messrs. Heretick and Smith was due to the timing of the event, short notice, or disaffection is open to speculation.

The swearing-in apparently will mark the beginning of Oliver's tenure. The interim manager referred in his remarks to starting work Monday morning. Citizens should get a hint about how much responsibility Oliver will take on how soon Tuesday evening when Council has its regular meeting. Will Mr. McCoy or Mr. Oliver be seated on the dais at "stage left?"

City Council Appoints Interim Manager

At a sparsely attended special meeting today, Council selected an interim city manager to fill the vacancy created by the pending retirement of C. W. "Luke" McCoy. The decision to name former Norfolk City Manager Jim Oliver, currently a CI Travel executive, to the post did not appear to surprise anyone. Rumors had circulated for better than a week that the Mayor and outgoing Council Members Benn, Griffin, and Pitts intended to select him and pre-empt Council Members-Elect Heretick, Psimas, and Smith from having a say in choosing McCoy's immediate successor.
 

Still, the meeting did offer a bit of drama. Announced for 5 P.M., the session did not start until almost forty-five minutes later. Mr. McCoy, City Clerk Debra White, and a number of upper level city staff people took up their positions at the appointed hour. The Mayor and Council, however, kept citizens and staffers waiting. About thirty minutes after the appointed hour, Mr. Benn stepped into the chamber, gestured to Ms. White, and left again. Finally, around 5:43 Mayor Holley and four of the six members of council filed in.

Absent from their number were Council Members Charles B. Whitehurst, Sr., and Marlene W. Randall. Sources said that Ms. Randall had a prior out-of-town commitment . Some citizens who had come to hear the announcement reported having seen Mr. Whitehurst outside the council chamber, but he did not join his colleagues on the dais. (When asked in an email message about his failure to participate in the public meeting, Mr. Whitehurst wrote that he chose "only to participate in doing what is right," and offered no elaboration.)

As spokesperson for the Personnel Committee, Mr. Benn announced the general terms of the agreement. Mr. Oliver will serve for a one-year term beginning with Mr. McCoy's departure on July 31, 2004. His salary will be $135,000 per year, almost $14,000 more than that budgeted for Mr. McCoy. Mr. McCoy will act as a consultant for seventy days at his FY 2004-2005 annual rate of pay, $120,779.

Another unexpected twist came during the formal vote for approval. The electronic "scoreboard" showed Mr. Griffin registering opposition to the appointment. When the Clerk announced the result, the Vice Mayor realized he had activated the wrong button and asked that the vote be retaken. This time all present - Mayor Holley and Messrs. Benn, Griffin, Moody, and Pitts - signaled their affirmation.

Aside from Mr. Whitehurst and Ms. Randall, a few others were conspicuous by their absence or presence. Mr. Oliver, and Council Members-Elect Heretick and Smith were among the former; Council Member-Elect Psimas and the three people rumored to have been competitors for the interim position - Deputy City Manager Lydia Patton, Director of Finance Lee Dumbauld, and Economic Development and Marketing Director Steve Lynch - among the latter.

With no one on hand to receive what the Mayor calls "a warm, Portsmouth welcome," the small crowd in attendance quickly dispersed when the official proceedings adjourned.

If you did not see the City Manager's presentation on the fiscal year (FY) 2004-2005 budget, the slide show is available at the city Web site, http://www.portsmouth.va.us/news.htm. Click on the item titled "FY 2004-05 Proposed Budget."

Although City Council members have backed away from the tax hike proposals the manager initially presented, they remain within the realm of possibility until Council adopts a final budget. You can view and download the budget document by clicking "Budget" in the "e-gov services" section of the city home page, http://www.portsmouth.va.us.

Printed copies of the first draft of the budget are available at Portsmouth Public Library branches.

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