Concerned Citizens of Portsmouth

03/06/2025

I especially love the medic with the straight jacket...

Tesla sales in Germany have dropped an astonishing 76 percent in February, compared with last year, noting consumers are fed up.

09/05/2024

At 9:25 in this video, Trump admits he lost the 2020 election "by a whisker." He actually said it out loud. Where are the headlines?

VP Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are reaching out to different types of undecided voters, the former president is a fan of medical ma*****na, and the uber-c...

02/03/2023

The latest result of the abrupt firing and hiring practices of the council members we are working hard to recall before they do even more damage:

Sunshine Swinson was hired as deputy city manager in late 2022 but was fired nearly a month later.

02/02/2023

(Alleged) Bribery and lawsuits and cover-ups, oh my!

The Virginia Pilot's recent article by Natalie Anderson, "Ex-Portsmouth deputy city manager files lawsuit alleging bribery attempts from former City Manager Tonya Chapman"

How do the citizens of Portsmouth feel about this latest allegation?

A former Portsmouth deputy city manager hired under ex-City Manager Tonya Chapman has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging she was wrongfully terminated after refusing a bribe from Chapman to resign. Sunshine Swinson was hired on Nov. 14 with a salary of $150,000, and she parted ways with the....

01/27/2023

Portsmouth residents deserve representatives who listen and amplify the voices of their constituents. Thankfully, City Council members voted 5-2 to rescind the December 13, 2022, resolution requesting an amendment to the recall provision of the City Charter. With no changes in requirements, we can continue collecting signatures to RECALL WHITAKER AND BARNES. Please share this information with your friends and family in Portsmouth.

Thank you John Nelson for making this excellent video!

01/12/2023

https://www.wavy.com/video/fired-portsmouth-city-manager-asking-for-full-severance-payment-claims-termination-%e2%80%98false-and-misleading%e2%80%99/8299389/

WAVY News 10's Brett Hall reports.

01/11/2023

Even better news! City Council members voted 5-2 to rescind the December 13, 2022, resolution requesting an amendment to the recall provision of the City Charter. We are good to go with our recalls of Barnes and Whitaker once we get all the signatures we need. No changes in requirements!!! Please share!

01/09/2023

GOOD NEWS! A resolution to rescind the resolution to amend the recall procedure in the Portsmouth City Charter is on the agenda at tomorrow's council meeting. View the agenda at https://www.portsmouthva.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01102023-915 and click on the resolution for details. Then consider speaking at the meeting and/or writing a quick email to [email protected] to support the new resolution.

The original resolution for the amendment was passed on Dec. 13, 2022, with support from outgoing councilmen Battle and Woodard as well as then-Vice Mayor Barnes and Councilman Whitaker, both of whom are battling our efforts to recall them. If the Dec. 13 resolution is not rescinded, our recall campaign is at serious risk, leaving Barnes and Whitaker on council to continue doing their worst.

01/03/2023

New City Council, new news: CM Chapman has been terminated for cause. (Specifics not available at this time; maybe never--it's a personnel matter.) Mimi Terry has been brought back as Interim CM. Ms. Lucas-Burke is now Vice Mayor by unanimous vote; she talked about moving forward as a unified council. Here's hoping!
(It was stunningly ironic to hear Councilman Whitaker complain that the cause for firing Chapman was unsubstantiated, and to hear former VM Barnes talk about majority rule being the natural order of council procedures, so no big deal, right?) Watch the meeting via the City's website, Portsmouthva.gov.

01/02/2023

Happy New Year--and NEW CITY COUNCIL! This Tuesday's (Jan. 3) City Council reorganization meeting has been rescheduled to 10 a.m., following a closed public work session at 9 a.m. The agenda will include voting on the council's calendar for the coming year (public comments welcome; register to speak by 9:30 a.m.), as well as the election of a vice mayor and council member appointments to committees, commissions, and boards (no public comments; you can write to council at [email protected]).
Although council is not accepting in-person comments on the vice mayoral and Personnel Committee selections, we as citizens always have the right to inform our elected officials of our opinions on what they will do or have done. In that vein, we [Portsmouth City Watch] have posted the following on those very matters: Open Letter to City Council:

Mayor and Council: I write to express my support for those of you who may be motivated to replace the current vice mayor and the members of the Personnel Committee. I have heard a number of voices …

12/17/2022

Nothing like trying to change the rules when you're losing. Stop them trying to stop the recall. Sign the petitions!

12/17/2022

Nothing quite like trying to change the rules midway through a recall! Sign the petitions to stop the attempt to stop the recall! Your rights are at stake.