Portsmouth mayor should resign now

For the sake of the "Portsmouth family" he loves so much, Mayor James Holley should step down and allow others to build on the accomplishments of recent years and address the challenges still ahead.

Until he does, his presence will represent a divisive distraction in a family that needs all the unity it can muster.

In a closed session last week, the City Council fined Holley $2,500 for engaging in "an extended pattern of abusive conduct" involving his assistant, Lorraine Stokes, who has lodged a formal complaint. The complaint, detailed by The Pilot's Jen McCaffery in a front-page story Saturday, listed 44 examples in which the mayor directed Stokes to perform work unrelated to city business.

Among other things, she says the mayor instructed her to cancel his Playboy subscription; enter sweepstakes for him; place orders for clothing, including a "tummy-tuck t-shirt;" make arrangements for personal travel; and call his financial advisers. When Stokes raised concerns about the chores, or when she failed to meet the mayor's expectations, she said he grew verbally abusive and, on July 24, threatened to fire her.

After discussing the complaint with Holley, council members drafted a letter imposing a fine and informing him that Stokes will be reassigned to remove her from "a hostile environment." The position of mayor's secretary will be reclassified in a way that limits his authority.

In their letter, council members stated that "this most recent incident is only the latest in a continuing pattern of conduct" that has caused his assistants to leave.

The council said his response to Stokes' complaint was unsatisfactory. "You did not acknowledge that you had done anything wrong," the council wrote, "and you did not show any intent to change your conduct."

The council has offered to pay for counseling for the 82-year-old Holley "so that your future conduct may become more within generally accepted standards of conduct of public officials."

At this point, however, the interests of taxpayers would be better served if Holley resigned.

The best interests of his legacy would be served, too.

Holley was the subject of a successful recall effort by voters in 1987 after his fingerprints were found on the envelopes of anonymous hate mail sent to city residents; surely he does not wish to risk experiencing another recall campaign.

When we endorsed him for re-election last year, we stated that Portsmouth needs far more than the ceremonial mayor that Holley has become but acknowledged that he was popular and likely to win. (He won by 202 votes.) We urged him to continue his work promoting the city but to give greater attention to running focused, businesslike meetings.

Unfortunately, on multiple occasions since then, Holley has repeatedly failed to conduct himself professionally. He is simply no longer suited to serve as Portsmouth's ambassador.

At a time when the city should be celebrating its successes - including preliminary indications that all of its schools will finally receive full state accreditation - it is distracted, once more, by Holley's conduct.

At a recent council meeting, the mayor invoked the "Portsmouth family," as he regularly does, and called upon residents to take advantage of "the opportunity to raise concerns" and express their "dreams, hopes and aspirations... for a better place of all of us."

Holley's record as a public official and as an activist includes many accomplishments. But he cannot continue to serve Portsmouth's family effectively. He should relinquish the mayor's office so the rest of the family can proceed with building a better home.