A Crime of Fashion… The Ousting of Mayor James Holley

So it’s the end of the road for Portsmouth Mayor James Holley (or should I say The Man Formerly Known as Portsmouth Mayor James Holley?)

After serving a combined total of 17 years as the Mayor of ‘P-Town’, Holley was ousted by an overwhelming majority vote in a recall election. The recall was sparked when Holley’s former assistant, Lorraine A. Stokes, filed a letter of complaint against him to the city council. Stokes cited mistreatment and even abuse of power by Holley when she was forced to run personal errands, and even make purchases for the Mayor. When she said she was overwhelmed by the personal requests, Stokes says she was berated, and even threatened by the Mayor.

Bah bye.

That hoopla inspired concerned citizens to start a petition for Holley to lose his seat, and eventually the recall. Holley was fined by the city, and even apologized. But he refused to step down. Could it be that James Holley’s savoir-faire was his ultimate downfall?

Look, James Holley is a nice man. He’s got that classic southern charm that works for a man of his time. You know the type. Seersucker suit, sippin’ on a mint julep while declaring how it’s ‘hotter than the devil’s parlor’ outside. He’s so well dressed that he was even featured in the September 2007 issue of Esquire Magazine. In the article Holly said he has 30 suits, eight tuxedos, and got into politics after having a couple of beers (don’t be too quick to judge on that one, he’s not the first politician to enjoy a cold one).

But if you think a mayor who is that sharp isn’t going to have a couple of diva demands every now and then, well, you’ve got another thing coming. So when I read that Holley requested English Leather cologne, a 90 Minute Abs DVD, turkey neck cream, and that his argyle socks be properly organized and labeled– I wasn’t shocked. I mean the English Leather motto is ‘Wear English Leather, or wear nothing at all.’

What do you want the man to do? Should he go around naked with a pudgy tummy, wrinkly neck, and mix matched footwear for heaven sake? I think not.

A mayor's got needs too, don't discriminate in this world.

Okay, maybe asking his assistant to cancel his Playboy subscription and order his tummy control T-shirt was a bit much. Sometimes a mayor is too busy to be bothered with such trivial endeavors. Yes, maybe the city of Portsmouth has one of the state’s highest drop out rates, and Portsmouth has the highest unemployment rate out of the seven cities of Hampton Roads at over 9%. But, when a Mayor needs his suits tailored, an assistant has to prioritize.

At the end of the day, if there was a national convention of mayors’ assistants I’m pretty sure there would be an abundance of battered employees that have picked up their share of dry cleaning, and ordered their share of birthday/anniversary gifts for unassuming spouses. It kind of comes with the territory. But once doing those personal chores interfere with work that benefits the city, something has to be done. And if someone is being threatened at work in any way- that’s just plain wrong.

No one is debating that James Holley is  a man who accomplished great things for the city of Portsmouth. From his work during the civil rights era, to his continuing charitable contributions, James Hollye was a good Mayor. The bottom line is, all good things must come to an end.

Unfortunately, James Holley’s legacy had to end on a rather unfashionable note.

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• Ulex Europus | July 15, 10 @ 11:47 am

  I’m still not sure what to make of this recall and ousting. Was Stokes an assistant or a personal assistant? Even if the former, as his assistant her job was to run do things for him so that he didn’t have to do it himself. So what’s the big deal? And what was the threat? That if she didn’t do her job, she’d be replaced? Something like that? Organizing the sock drawer is pushing it for a non-personal assistant, but as the article notes?

  if there was a national convention of mayors’ assistants I’m pretty sure there would be an abundance of battered employees that have picked up their share of dry cleaning, and ordered their share of birthday/anniversary gifts for unassuming spouses. It kind of comes with the territory.

  IOW, it’s part of the job description. There needs to be more data, the coverage I’ve seen on this doesn’t justify the recall and ousting. This bit was precious:
  

  But once doing those personal chores interfere with work that benefits the city, something has to be done.</blockquote. Mmmmkay. So the mayor at $N per hour, picking up his drycleaning is of greater benefit to the city than his assistant picking it up at $N minus X per hour? I don't get it.
  But OTOH, if he was ousted because he'd been in office too long and this other brouhaha is a plausible excuse? Just say so. Or elect someone else next time. Should have elected someone else last time.

  Ulex

  
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• Ulex Europus | July 15, 10 @ 12:19 pm

  I’m still not sure what to make of this recall and ousting. Was Stokes an assistant or a personal assistant? Even if the former, as his assistant her job was to run do things for him so that he didn’t have to do it himself. So what’s the big deal? And what was the threat? That if she didn’t do her job, she’d be replaced? Something like that? Organizing the sock drawer is pushing it for a non-personal assistant, but as the article notes?

  if there was a national convention of mayors’ assistants I’m pretty sure there would be an abundance of battered employees that have picked up their share of dry cleaning, and ordered their share of birthday/anniversary gifts for unassuming spouses. It kind of comes with the territory.

  IOW, it’s part of the job description. There needs to be more data, the coverage I’ve seen on this doesn’t justify the recall and ousting. This bit was precious:
  

  But once doing those personal chores interfere with work that benefits the city, something has to be done.

  Mmmmkay. So the mayor at $N per hour, picking up his drycleaning is of greater benefit to the city than his assistant picking it up at $N minus X per hour? I don’t get it.
  But OTOH, if he was ousted because he’d been in office too long and this other brouhaha is a plausible excuse? Just say so. Or elect someone else next time. Should have elected someone else last time.

  Ulex

  
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• Ulex Europus | July 15, 10 @ 12:21 pm

  Administrator, write me offlist please. clearly a programmatic fault or weakness has been found and I think I can help.

  Ulex

  
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• Chris Hanger | July 28, 10 @ 12:14 am

  So, Mr Holley is a little (or a lot) vain……a prima donna in seersucker. Sufficient reason for ousting him? Absolutely not.

  But the man can no longer form a coherent sentence, although that doesn’t stop him from trying………and trying…………and trying.

  Sad? Kind of. No one likes to see the decline and humiliation of anyone due to circumstances beyond their control (in this case, the aging process). I’m sure he was given a chance to bow out gracefully, followed by a less graceful public request, by the city council, to resign. Ah, but that vanity thing………….maybe it was a problem after all.

  
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