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PORTSMOUTH
A judge on Monday officially set July 13 for Mayor James Holley's recall election.
Two residents submitted a petition of more than 8,000 signatures last month to trigger the procedure. Circuit Judge Dean W. Sword Jr. gave Holley until 5 p.m. last Friday to resign and avoid an election, which Holley did not do.
Sword issued an order for an election to run between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. with the following question on the ballot:
"SHALL DR. JAMES W. HOLLEY, III, BE REMOVED FROM THE OFFICE OF MAYOR OF THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, BY RECALL?"
It is the same question that was put to voters in 1987, when Holley was recalled after he was implicated in a hate-mail campaign against several prominent community leaders. He was re-elected mayor in 1996.
Candidates can try to get on the recall ballot to succeed Holley if he is voted out, but they must do so quickly. Sword, following a time frame spelled out in the city charter, ordered potential challengers to file their petitions for candidacy by July 3.
The petitions must include signatures from a number of people equal to 30 percent of the voters in the last gubernatorial election. That number, another requirement of the city charter, rounds up to 6,669 people.
Residents began organizing the effort to oust Holley last year after his assistant at City Hall said he had ordered her to do dozens of his personal tasks on city time, and was verbally demeaning. The rest of City Council fined Holley $2,500 for the episode and asked him to retire, which Holley said he would not do.
Dave Forster, (757) 446-2627, dave.forster@pilotonline.com
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Oh come on
Mayor Holley just won't step down! He'd rather the good citizens of P-Town pay for another recall election! How arrogant is that? I hope the next mayor will get P-Town back on track because Holley's time is up. Need someone in there that won't use his position of power and take advantage of his employees like Holley did! This is just plain defiance on his part ; and he ought to be ashamed of himself, go home Holley!
I think someone is going to step up??
I have a feeling here that someone we all know in the past is going to step up for the election on July 13th. ???????
Portsmouth's recall efforts
People can say what they want about the good old mayor, but one thing is certain and that is he is a fighter! I do not know many 80 plus year olds who can take the beating that Mayor Holley has taken in the last several months and keep on moving forward. I have a feeling that people like fighters despite their flaws and so the Recall advocates better watch out because I believe the Mayor is going to be prepared to fight for his beloved job as Mayor. Keep up the good fight Mr. Mayor.
Thats because he has no clue
Thats because he has no clue what is going on.
Right...
And I guess the same could be said about Saddam Hussein when G.W. Bush told him to vacate Iraq right?
Im sure the mayor has done alot of 'good' for the city, but the 'bad and questionable' outweighs that for many of Portsmouths population.
I could sit and spray paint a rock gold and tell you how wonderful it is because its shiny golden properties, but in the end its still just a rock.
Seriously, its PASSED time for the man to go. He has been given the opportunity to leave with his dignity intact on more than one occasion. So now we are going to do it for him.
Well said!!!!!!!!
Well said Dallascowboys, which is my favorite team also. That's the truth as I see it too. Children are the most important task the city of Portsmouth should take seriously.
HOLLEY RECALL
While it never ceases to amaze me when race is used as an issue, African Americans are always asked to do the right thing & others always do just what they want. We all know this whole Mayor Holley recall is because of his black/white hotel comment(which I admit shouldn't have been made). The people who organize the recall had all the right in the world but should've been honest about it, they know they don't care anything about the way his assistant was treated & as a matter of fact that's what they do. The majority of these comments are race based & that's the truth. Portsmouth is not the laughing stock of Hampton Roads, because every city has it faulks, I say to all of you who seems to have nothing to do but bash Portsmouth pay attention to where you live because if you did you would Shut Up.I personally will be glad when this is all over regardless of the out come, because then maybe citizens will work on what's really important in all cities & that's our children!!!!!!!
Oh poor ole you
Im going to have to agree with you here - but not for the reasons you have stated.
The reason it 'became a race thing' is because YOU (and your beloved mayor) took it there. Plain and simple. You seem to have the attitude of 'Im and I have suffered in the past because of the white man and everyone else. Poor ole me.' Unfortunately our country has become OVERLY sensitized to this so called 'race issue' Its folks like the mayor who exploit this and take advantage of the fact that society is still reeling from what happened in the PAST.
Hey, things arent going my way? Let me just pull out this ole race card here and scream discrimination. Get over it... I dont care if the mayor was white/black/hispanic/asian/native american/or albino. You do and say dumb stuff when we have entrusted you with making decisions that affect our lives, then you gotta go.
Take some responsibility and accountability for what you say and what you do. Not just in how it benefits YOU but how it affects others as well.
I am a citizen of Portsmouth
I am a citizen of Portsmouth and I disagree with your comments. The recall is not JUST about the "black hotel" comments or even the way in which he treated his assistant. The reason I do not want Holley as my mayor is because he is ineffective and embarrassing. When the only thing that appears in the paper about your town's leadership is their insensitive comments and personal indiscretions, instead of what they should be doing, then it is time to GO! I don't care if he doesn't have much time left in this term or if his position is more a figure head than real (because of the city manager). Currently, he represents my city, a city that with all its problems and issues, I really do love to live in. And I don't want him to represent me! I don't want the face of Portsmouth to be someone so racist and disrespectful. I want Portsmouth to grow because someone cares about its diversity, history, and resources. Being a mayor is about having a vision for your city and sharing that captivating motivation with everyone so we are all proud to live here. I have never felt that as long as Holley has been in office.
NOT WHITE
While I am not white you seem to be the one making the racial comments. As stated before, I would have voted for him however his comments to those he works with turned me off just days before the election. See it had nothing to do with his race but the fact that he thought because he was mayor he was above the law. (Will leave it at that) In the past my not voting for him had more to do with the fact that I was not experienced with the process as I had just become legal to vote. The hotel issues did upset me not because of my race which happens to be the same as his but because it was wrong. I stopped blaming the white man for all my issues years ago and started blaming my self for the things I could change but couldn't because I was to busy blaming others which is what you and the rest of the people that scream racism should start doing. I will not vote against this man because he is black nor will I vote for him because he is. I will however vote against him because he has done things against the law (like spending city funds on trips for him and his wife)as well as others and this can no longer be allowed.