THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507210220
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Somebody in Portsmouth has to answer Gloria Webb's State of the City speech. Every year she gives one of these propaganda affairs. The emcee this year praised her for a courageous speech. It's true that courage is required to read off all that propaganda like it's really true.
You can count on her to harp on non-taxed government property. Look at the government property turned over to the city. How much tax has the city received from the old Coast Guard Base for 20 years? Exactly zero. The city has allowed it to rot. So what other parcel of government land does she wish to destroy? What would the city do with the Navy yard if it were to close? Probably build gondolas for a High Street canal.
It's amazing how the mayor avoids the Annapolis-of-the-South dream. How about the give-away of taxes on boats? We could hire a few policemen with the $7 million I think it would total. Instead we raise real estate assessments and taxes, plus the cost of water, etc., for that purpose.
She is always heaping praise on the city manager. For what? That job was never advertised. It was a done deal and a bad one from day one. . .
Other cities received million-dollar grants. We didn't file on time and even if we had, the forms were filled out wrong. . .
He promotes Umoja Day, a Christmas celebration in September. It's just another way to spend tax dollars. You will never promote downtown with African-American parties. People stay away and, as a matter of fact, one year white civic leaders were not invited to the party.
What other city has a leisure services director? Or a liaison with the General Assembly which meets 45-60 days a year?
The city manager submits a budget that benefits him: a boat tax cut that saves him money; cut off all those generous benefits for the police and fire pension plan for future employees now that he and other city big wigs are in on it. . .
Does anyone think Lawrence Stadium would have been torn down if a black name was on it? We have to build a new high school we don't need because the African-Americans want it. Our spineless council and mayor are afraid to do otherwise. They have complained that the classrooms leak at I.C. Norcom. I bet we don't have any leaks in the old Cradock school we gave to Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities. According to the city manager, that deal was made because the universities were going to purchase the old Churchland High site and build on it. Why build when you can get one for nothing?
In the reorganizing of City Hall, the city manager's staff got bigger. Why do we need all those deputy and assistant city managers, plus executive assistants? . . . These people are useless to Portsmouth taxpayers. . .
We rent a bank floor for the economic development staff. They claim all types of success but all I see are people leaving, businesswise. I know one business with 45 employees left and was replaced with one with 15 employees. .
Mayor Webb said in her speech that the naysayers are fewer this year. The opposition to her policy is causing the decrease with for sale signs in front of homes. . . When her term is up, don't look for her to stay in Portsmouth either.
As long as the council and mayor are afraid of being called ``racist,'' Portsmouth will get worse. . .
In closing, why do we raise taxes for more police? The city's liberal Democrats should ask their president for some of the 100,000 police he keeps preaching about. Where are they? Of course, we have to file correct forms for the money and that leaves us out. . .
James B. Kilpatrick
Oregon Avenue
June 1, 1995 by CNB