Almost ten years have passed since Portsmouth City Council called for Mayor James W. Holley III to withdraw from office. Revelations by his administrative assistant, a city employee, that he required her to perform personal services (among them, calling stores to locate apparel items he wished to purchase, having a magazine subscription cancelled, and making hair and nail appointments for him) in addition to her official duties, brought abundant negative media attention to our city. In a rare act of unanimity, six council members, led by then Vice Mayor William E. Moody, Jr., drafted a statement asking Mayor Holley to step down. According to the Virginian-Pilot account, the statement read, in part, “‘We have much left to accomplish and we must have the focus, the consistency and stability with which to move forward as a unified community. Sadly, it is no longer possible under the mayor’s leadership for reasons which have become clear to the entire community.'” [Emphasis is ours.] (See the Virginian-Pilot, August 12, 2009.) Continue reading →