PORTSMOUTH
Mayor James Holley has been in three accidents over the past two years while driving a city car.
Other Portsmouth City Council members are now raising questions about the use of city-owned vehicles by elected officials.
"Each time it's happened, it's just been glossed over or not addressed at all with him directly," Councilman Ray Smith said Friday.
At an all-day work session last week, six council members spoke about the need to address the issue. Holley was not present during that discussion, but he was in a recent closed session when members talked about the use of city vehicles.
"The mayor has had several vehicle accidents, which has caused us to see if we had a policy," City Councilwoman Elizabeth Psimas said. "We didn't, and we should."
Council members have asked City Attorney Tim Oksman to research the matter and could pass a resolution at an upcoming meeting.
Holley is the only member of the Portsmouth council who drives a city vehicle.
Other South Hampton Roads cities have differing policies on council members and their use of city vehicles.
Council members in Chesapeake, Suffolk and Virginia Beach are not allocated city vehicles. Norfolk leases a car for Mayor Paul Fraim through a Ford Motor Co. program for governors and mayors.
The accidents involving Holley have occurred in three cities across the region. Portsmouth council members began exploring the need for a policy after Holley got into an accident while driving a city-owned car on the afternoon of Feb. 17 in Newport News.
The mayor, who is 81, was driving the 2006 four-door Chevrolet south on Huntington Avenue when he turned onto 26th Street and collided with a Hampton Roads Transit bus, according to court and police records.
No one was injured, but the mayor was charged with failure to obey a traffic signal. He is scheduled to appear in traffic court in Newport News on April 16.
Holley's assistant said the mayor was out of town this week. He did not return messages left at his office seeking comment.
Court records show that the mayor also had a car accident on Nov. 21, 2006, in the 3800 block of Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk. He was charged with failure to yield, but that charge was later dismissed.
Earlier in 2006, the mayor was involved in an accident on the Martin Luther King Expressway in Portsmouth, but he was not charged.
Holley's attorney, Peter G. Decker III, said Holley was traveling to an official function when the "little fender bender" in Newport News occurred.
Decker said the mayor is waiting to hear from other members of the City Council to see what their recommendations are on the policy.
"He doesn't have strong feelings either way," Decker said.
Councilman Steve Heretick said council members generally agree that "no council member has any specific need for a city vehicle on an ongoing basis."
"The same basic, common-sense rules that apply to city employees driving city vehicles should apply to members of council," Councilman Doug Smith said. "Right now they don't, and we want to make sure they do."
Staff writers Meghan Hoyer and Dave Forster contributed to this report.
Jen McCaffery, (757) 446-2627, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com
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Mayor
This is in response to the person who said Portsmouth residents keep electing this "fool". Well for years Mayor Holley has ran for office with no opposition, however, there is this year.
Carpooling
Maybe the mayor and Chief Long could carpool. That way we can ensure that only one vehicle needs to be written off instead of one for each. I guess if Holley would concentrate on the road instead of looking at how good he looks in his seersucker suits in the mirror the whole area would be safer. Not to mention the fact that he's a dentist and is just hording his own money by driving a city car. No wonder Portsmouth has a budget in the crapper!! This guy is one of the fat cats in charge and he's draining the city even more by abusing his position and driving a cuty car. Take a stand Portsmouth and demand he stop driving and crashing city property. It's our car, not his!
Geriatric Comments
Hey , hopefully we will all get old one day...I like the chauffeur idea, he is a mayor & needs to get around without jeopardizing the safety of the public...but, who the heck is Jeff Stewart? I googled the name because it is unfamiliar & came up with a CPA in Ohio..Now I'm trying to figure out how a geriatric thinking he is an accountant has to do with 3 auto accidents...unless Tony Stewart & Jeff Gordon are having a baby together & he is gonna follow in his mom & dad's career. Sorry to the Gordon fans out there but, in this theory, Jeff is the mom, so I'm not entirely ruling it out........lol
Why would anyone
Why would anyone want to drive a Chevy? Why would anyone want to ride the bus.
The real answer
After reading all the post about Mayor Holly it is kinda sad what people can say. Mayor Holly I do not know you or any members of the Portsmouth City Council. I do have grandparents that are in their 80's. We do not let them drive at night because there eye sight is not the best when head lights from on coming traffic. There is no shame in admitting your getting older Mayor Holly. Portsmouth does not need another policy just use your common sense. Mayor Holly thank you for your public service sir.
Portsmouth Fools
You Idiots in Portsmouth keep electing this fool. LIVE WITH YOUR CHOICE!!!
And when was the last time his license was renewed?
Maybe it's time for a trip to DMV. Maybe it's time for a trip to the eye doctor. Maybe it's just time to give up the driver's license. It's a privilege to drive, not a right, no matter who you are. And at 81, why in the world are the people of Portsmouth still electing this man? Definitely time for some newer, fresher, younger, sighted folks in Portsmouth!
Mayor Holley, Mr. Magoo?
I think it is time for a driver's education course for the Mayor. He doesn't need a city vehicle. Wonder if he is required to get a drug screen test like other City employees after an accident in a city vehicle?
It's time for a change!
Portsmouth is at (and has been) at a crucial time that requires real leadership and not an aged figurehead mayor. The Portsmouth "Family" is fed up with the lack of real leadership for the city and with the minority run government that is overpaid and underqualified.
driving a city vehicle means your on duty
While I agree that Mayor Holley should not be entitled to a city vehicle, the police officers and sheriffs deputies that you see riding around with their families are still considered on duty and must stop to help disabled vehicles or at accidents etc. if they don't they can lose their privlege of a take home vehicle. I may be mistaken, but I believe this used to be the policy in Portsmouth. Since all police officers in Portsmouth are underpaid they should get a perk like this. As a Portsmouth resident we need all the on duty cops we can get.
I really like the HRT suggestion.
I think ALL city Mayors, Council people and appointed officials should be made to ride the bus and (when it starts) the "TIDE", to set an example for the rest of us. If the area's local governments are so determined to have a "big city" feel, then that's a great place to start. That way they can feel relate to the citizens that have to live with the decisions the councils are making. Great idea.
Mayor Holley at it again
Mayor Holley has had other problems in the past, and his electorate still wants him in office. You're getting what you deserve, Portsmouth!On another note, riding the HRT bus is a great suggestion. All elected officials should have the pleasure of negotiating buses, transfers, and hours of riding and waiting just as other folks without transportation do. But let's hope he doesn't have more than two transfers or he'll have to pay extra since he's obviously handing them over to someone else so they can ride free! It takes four buses from Willoughby to Old Dominion University and an hour and a half--or longer if one bus pulls off leaving a group waving in the rear view mirror as they rush to the transfer station. Doesn't matter if the bus is leaving early...it has a schedule to keep!
Grrrr
Someone like him is going to hit me and destroy my car. Sounds like the man can't drive, and probably shouldn't be driving. He can take HRT.
The mayor needs to stop
The mayor needs to stop driving (or attempting to drive) that Chevy. Its costing our citizens tax dollars. Let him drive his own car, and start enforcing off duty cops and sheriff's office personnel driving their cars with family to cut it out or get fined.
What this is is sour grapes
Q. Why would another council member feel compelled to speak about the mayor? A. Because only His Honor gets a car provided by the city. Of course, it's a part time job, so you do have to wonder why he needs a city car. And the answer to that is: Because it's Portsmouth. Go figure.
Mayor Holley on a Sunday
Mayor Holley on a Sunday Afternoon was travelling to "Official Business" when he collided with a bus. A BUS, not a compact car, not even a SUV, not even a Dump Truck, ALL SMALLER. But a BUS. Why should the city change it's policy for the Mayor when I constantly see the Portsmouth Sherrifs brown cars being drove on the weekends by employees out of uniform with thier family loaded up in the back seat. So what if citzens are paying for $3.20/gallon gas and high vehicle prices for city employees. I wonder if that has anything to do with Portsmouth having the highest city taxes of the region.
Hire him a chauffeur.
It will end up being cheaper in the long run. Insurance rates will go down and the mayor won't get lost.
Send the Mayor to Driving School
I bet if the mayor drove his own vehicle, he'd be a little more careful. Then again, maybe the Portsmouth City Council needs to vote a resolution to send the Mayor back to driving school?
Driving Mayor
Take the old fool's license. It's too obvious he cannot drive and if it were me, I'd have been thrown under the jail. As usual, the city council will punish all city workers due to the inconpetence of the mayor who thinks he's Jeff Stewart. Take his car and license.....
Liability
This leads to the question of (any) government personnel using tax paid vehicles, gasoline, and insurance for personal business. It happens every day in private business, but when the liability is to the community, it needs to be managed. The answer could be a reasonable car allowance for some range of people who NEED to be other places on city business. Otherwise, have people use their own vehicles with their own liability when they are not on specific city business. Or even more radical, have people turn in expense reports and be paid for mileage (might be dangerous for some cities). Anything else is irresponsible. But wait, shouldn't public jobs have better perks?
I bet
I bet that a city employee with that many 'at fault' accidents would be fired. Not to mention that the City of Portsmouth probably paid any costs for the accidents. Hey, maybe council can borrow some money to pay for future accidents caused by the mayor at a high interest rate, lose place of the money and then find it 4 years later in an account yielding less interest than is being paid and call it all a success. I would however suggest that the mayor call Councilman Ray Smith for future accidents so he can threaten a police dispatcher and get a faster response from the police.
Yet another argument
for making it harder and harder to be a driver after the age of 65... Drivers in this age group also have the highest fatalities in crashes ratio over even teen drivers due to failing health and age related weaknesses that younger people can recover from in the same crash. www.nhtsa.dot.gov
The best dressed mayor in America
needs to become the best driver in America. Don't worry, Mayor Holley, we have a high tolerance for foolishness from you, if you recall!
crashes
I wonder if this was a regular citizen at the age 81 with 3 crashes in a 2 yr period would they still be allowed to drive? Seems bias to me but also dangerous would if kills someone next time......