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110
<br />
<br />regard to
<br />
<br /> Ayes:
<br /> NayS:
<br />
<br />the request;
<br />
<br />February 1 Bth.
<br />
<br /> Brooks, Fox, Hutchins, Mayo, Moore, Oast, Ogg, - 7,
<br /> None.
<br />
<br />Vincent L. Parker was granted permission of the floor and spoke
<br />
<br />Brooks presented the following letter:
<br />
<br /> ~Portsm~th, Va.
<br />
<br />in
<br />
<br />Members of the Council,
<br />City of portsmouth.
<br /> The City Manager of Portsmouth is-an appointee c~ its Council and there-
<br />fore is under the jurisdiction Of and resoonsible to the, t Body for his actions. I am, there-
<br />fore, bringing to the Body' s attention wh~t I term an unwarranted o~itioism in the public
<br />Press made by the City Manager against one of its member's. Not that it would make any differ-
<br />ence to the majority of the Council, but to ~ring to their attention the fact that I resent
<br />this public attack. If my seeking izfformation, as a member of the Co,oil, did not meet with
<br />the City Manager's approval, he could either have so informed me personally or could have
<br />brought it to the Council' s attention in 9pen session or if he did not care to do this and
<br />thereby bring this question to the public's attention the fact that the Oity was paying for a
<br />phone zn his residence, then I em sure he-'could have brought it up in a special meeting. Prob-
<br />ably he was afraid of adverse action on the part o£ the CounciI.
<br /> The City Manager has the same right as any member of the Couno'il to bring
<br /> any matter to their attention and the same right to discuss all matters on the floor as does
<br /> any member of that Body. It looks to me the City Manager is guilty o£ the same thing
<br /> which he has so severely criticised me, that is, rather than enquire of me iff I had been to
<br /> the Telephone Company for information concerning certain phones, he, himself, goes directly
<br /> to the same source I went, The Chesaoeake and Potomac Telephone Company, to get his informa-
<br /> tion. The information I sought was o~ public record, the information the City Manager sought
<br /> when he s ,u~mmoned the Manager of the Phone Company to come to his office was concerning a let-
<br /> ter £~om me to the Phone Co~npany and contained in their private files.
<br /> It has always been my desire, whenever I was seeking information, to pro-
<br /> cure it from the source of greatest reliability. This is the reason I sought the information
<br /> from the Telephone Company rather than the City Manager.
<br /> The information furnished me by the Phone Company was in response to the
<br /> following letter: ~January 152h,l~3~.
<br />
<br />Chesapeake ~ potomac Telephone Company-,
<br />50~ Washington Street,
<br />portsmouth, Virginia.~
<br /> Attention: Er. Armistead.
<br />Ge ntle men:
<br /> As a member 0£ the Council o£ the City of portsmouth, I em
<br />requesting for my personal information, a list of the phones, with
<br />names and ~addresses, which you furnish the City in compliance with
<br />your existing franchise.
<br /> Respectfully yourS, '
<br />
<br /> I had, previous to this letter~ been i~ormed that the City Manager had
<br />had a phone, prior to being Oity Manager, in his -residenoe, for his and his family's personal
<br />use, and paid for by himself. I had information that this contract was cancelled and that
<br />~both a phone and extension and extra bell had' been installed in his residence to be paid for
<br />by the City. It was to confirm this that I 'sought the information.
<br /> I ~noted from the paper he neglected to mention the extension and an extra
<br />bell in his residence. I noted further the Star carried his phone as B.B. Anderson, I presume
<br />this was a typographical ez~or. Practically all ~f the savings he has made for the City has
<br />been in the form of drastic wage cuts, some white employees getting less than $13.00 per week.
<br />Getting the City to pay for his persona~ phone leads me to believe he has instituted a very
<br />rigid personal economy program.
<br /> I recognize the fac~ that the designation of the location of the telephones
<br /> received as part of the franchise Tax fO~ the Phone Company, is entirely within the discretion
<br /> o£ the City Manager. I do, however, ~aestion the propriety of the City }~anager in installing
<br /> a phone in his residence to be used for his and his family's personal affairs under the guise
<br /> that he may have to attend to the City's business at other times than his offices hours. No Ci-
<br /> ty Mar~ger of portsmouth, prior to Mr. Anderson, has .ever had installed and maintained in his
<br /> residence, ~ cherts at the expense of the City. I dare say after his office hours, the City
<br /> Manager gets ~o more calls on city business over his residence phone than does any counciiman
<br /> get over his personal phone. I know of no councilman who has ever made a request for a phone
<br /> at the City's exoense. Getting away from the precedent establishe~ by all prior City Managers,
<br /> it seems to me t~-is unprecedented procedure should have been brought to the Oottuoil' s atten-
<br /> tion and by them sanctioned. The City Manager could have the public believe I was insistent
<br /> ~i~ getti~u~ the list from the-Phone Company. I was told m'it would take a little time to get it
<br /> up and upon its completion it would be given me. I have it now before me and comparing it
<br /> with the list published by the City Manager Sunday, I find some dLfferenee, which makes me
<br /> surer o£ my original statement, it is best to procure your information from a reliables source.
<br /> I feel, however, should I have applied to the City Manager for the list and the particular in-
<br /> formation I sought had inadvertently been omitted, I might have thought it was purposely done.
<br /> I wonder if in compiling his -list, he really forgot his extension.
<br /> It appears to me that a lot of publicity has apparently been given a mat-
<br /> ter of minor importance. The City Manager, it seems to me, could better give his time to the
<br />
<br />
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