Portsmouth Mayor James Holley is headed to traffic school.
Holley, 81, appeared Wednesday in Newport News General District Court on a charge of failure to obey a traffic signal. He had been cited for a Feb. 17 accident in Newport News while driving a city car.
General District Court Judge Alfred Masters said he would dismiss the charge against Holley if he attended traffic school and paid $61 in court costs.
In deciding not to convict Holley of the charge, the judge cited Holley’s good driving record.
Last week, the Portsmouth City Council voted to adopt a policy that prevents council members from using city cars on a regular basis. The vote was prompted by Holley’s three accidents in city cars during the past 2 and ½ years.
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we need a judge to send...
the mayor, the city manager, and the city council to a "give a decent pay plan and raise to public safety employees school" rather than the one they've been attending for the past several years....that one is called the "heres a 4% raise...by the way your insurance is going up 10% school"...I guess we shouldnt complain though since we were once told we should be happy if we get a hundred dollar pay raise...
Huh?!?!
In deciding not to convict Holley of the charge, the judge cited Holley’s good driving record...
...Holley’s three accidents in city cars during the past 2 and ½ years.
GOOD DRIVING RECORD? I think the judge needs 1) a drug test and 2) a psych test to ensure he isn't NUTS! Three accidents in 2.5 years?!?! My wife has totaled 2 cars and wrecked her current (third) car twice (all of this in the 13 years we've been together) and I won't let her drive me anywhere!
I think Mr. Holley's days of driving should be over before he kills someone!
Good driving record?
Whose record was the Judge looking at?
"In deciding not to convict
"In deciding not to convict Holley of the charge, the judge cited Holley’s good driving record. Last week, the Portsmouth City Council voted to adopt a policy that prevents council members from using city cars on a regular basis. The vote was prompted by Holley’s three accidents in city cars during the past 2 and ½ years."
Did the judge read the Pilot lately??? Right after his last accident? Good driving record! He had three accidents in the past 2 and a half years but because of his position there were expunged/dismissed or whatever! It was sheer luck that no one was seriously injured in any of these. I'm going to hold onto this article so that when I am involved in an accident I should be able to go to driving school and have the ticket removed too. This is a precedent right?! With power comes priviledge!!! Ask the Govenor of New York. Not the same for you and I.
Huh?
Three accidents in a two and a half years is a good record? The only reason the mayor may have a good record is that he wasn't charged due to his position. I understand why he was charged in Newport News, I mean, he hit a BUS! If he couldn't see a bus, how on earth could he have seen the sign? At least it wasn't bright yellow like another unnamed city official. Hopefully the moderators of the traffic school will see what it seems nobody else can, Mayor Holley should not be driving. I think the judge should make Holley practice for six months driving around the traffic circle. That way, the taxpayers of Portsmouth will get their money out of it. One additional suggestion would be to stack tires around the circle to prevent too much damage to the vehicle. We should all be thankful that he will have to drive his own car, but we can all still pray he stops driving altogether. Mayor Holley, look at the bright side, if you sell your car you could buy another pair of chinchilla shoes or something. Please, do us all a favor!
Just goes to prove..
City officials are NOT above the law! I am happy with the Judge's decision. Good call. I hope a valuable lesson is learned. I hope he actually attends the class, and doesn't just "phone it in" due to his position.