Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance

01/13/2017

Please join us tomorrow morning.....
Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance
9 to 10 am
First Friends Church
Portsmouth Blvd.
Saturday January 14th, 2017

AGENDA:
Overview of 2016-2017 Budget
Update from Ted Lamb on $ for VoTech
Update on PFP from Lee Cherry

VISION
Provide voters with the knowledge they need to improve
their standard of living by reducing the growth rate of
government spending so families can keep more of what
they earn.
MISSION
Become the most objective local source of knowledge on the
City’s taxing and spending decisions and their impact on
the financial health of families and businesses.
Co-Chairs,
Jennifer and Pat

09/07/2016

Please join us this Saturday morning September 10th for our City Council Candidate Forum at the Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance meeting. Our intimate forums provide an excellent opportunity for you to see the candidates up close and have your questions answered.

Location: First Friends Church, 5307 Portsmouth Blvd.
Parking behind church
Date: Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Time: Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for pastry, fruit, coffee & juice
Meeting starts promptly at 9 am and will end by 11 am

All candidates invited:
James C. Bailey Paul J. Battle
Leon J. Boone Nathan J. Clark
Mark A. Geduldig-Yatrofsky Lisa L. Lucas-Burke
Elizabeth M. Psimas S.C. Cathy Revell
Donna Biggs Sayegh Ray A. Smith

The Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is proud to be considered non partisan with the best interest of the community in mind. We look to aid every resident in familiarizing themselves with each candidate’s position and encourage our neighbors to vote for the candidates of their choice.

OUR MISSION
Become the most objective local source of knowledge on the
City’s taxing and spending decisions and their impact on
the financial health of families and businesses.

Our meetings are open to everyone - invite your friends, neighbors and family - students are encouraged to attend!

Co-Chairs,
Jennifer Lee 286-1472
Pat Simons 646-7240

08/15/2016

For those of you who were not able to attend our Mayoral Forum on Saturday.....take a few minutes to listen to Mayor Wrights 2 minute intro which starts at 8 minutes 56 seconds into this video. Hear his rant about how much we - the Citizens - bother him. Let this help to guide your decision in the voting booth on November 8th.

https://youtu.be/Ijy-N_XMuHU

Mayoral Candidates Shannon Glover, Cliff Page, John Rowe, Jim Sturdavent, and Kenneth Wright presenting their views to the Taxpayer Alliance. Candidate Barry...

08/12/2016

Please join us this Saturday morning August 13th for our Mayoral Forum at the Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance meeting. Our intimate forums provide an excellent opportunity for you to see the candidates up close and have your questions answered.

Location: First Friends Church, 5307 Portsmouth Blvd.
Parking behind church
Date: Saturday, August 13th, 2016
Time: 8:30 a.m. Doors open/ham buscuits, pastry, fruit, coffee & juice
9:00 to 10:30 AM

All candidates invited:
Shannon E. Glover H. Cliff Page, Jr.
Barry R. Randall John L. Rowe, Jr.
James M. Sturdevant Kenneth I. Wright

The Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is proud to be considered non partisan with the best interest of the community in mind. We look to aid every resident in familiarizing themselves with each candidate’s position and encourage our neighbors to vote for the candidates of their choice.

OUR MISSION
Become the most objective local source of knowledge on the
City’s taxing and spending decisions and their impact on
the financial health of families and businesses.

Our meetings are open to everyone - invite your friends, neighbors and family - students are encouraged to attend!

Co-Chairs,
Jennifer Lee 286-1472
Pat Simons 646-7240

07/08/2016

Please join us tomorrow morning.....

Portsmouth Taxpayer Alliance
9 to 10 am
First Friends Church
Portsmouth Blvd.
Saturday July 9th, 2016

Join us as we celebrate our 9th anniversary!

VISION
Provide voters with the knowledge they need to improve
their standard of living by reducing the growth rate of
government spending so families can keep more of what
they earn.
MISSION
Become the most objective local source of knowledge on the
City’s taxing and spending decisions and their impact on
the financial health of families and businesses.

Co-Chairs,
Jennifer and Pat

05/19/2015

No lemonade for us..............
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/no-chance-make-lemonade-portsmouth

Tolls at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels are hampering business and stifling economic recovery in Portsmouth. In other words, they're doing precisely what opponents warned they would.

05/19/2015

Yes indeed, the city got back $638,000 BUT Thomas had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with it as confirmed by the CFO at her last council workship.........
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/portsmouth-two-audits-done-and-more-come

Auditor Jesse Andre Thomas says an audit of billing and customer service in the Public Utilities Department will be done next month, as will a full audit of another department.

05/19/2015

Highly doubt all the Group Therapy in the world would help the Portsmouth City Council's problem.....
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/experts-divided-portsmouth-council-needs-counseling #

Members' relationship might be described as a bad marriage. Behavioral scientists say the answer could lie with training in "group dynamics" - what some call "group therapy."

05/08/2015

Email sent to Mayor & Council today:

My Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor & Council Members:

Today is your Lucky Day!!!!!

You now have $5,645,864 to add to your budget. Tonight the School Board is voting on a resolution asking Council to “realign their budget over various categories”.

Instruction ………………. - $5,645,864 Instruction is the only thing that will make an impact on the future leaders of Portsmouth. Having almost 6 million dollars left at the close of the school year, while the passing rates in math and reading are among the lowest in the state, is nothing short of denying education to the children.

Admin………………….+ $50,000 Administration is over 500% higher per 1,000 students than Va. Beach and rising. The Mayor demanded to know where 26 Sheriff Deputies are in the court house every minute of every day. With school admin budget approaching 7 million dollars you need to demand to know exactly what is going on with these 1,000+ employees.

Transportation……..+ $110,000

Debt…………………………… - $150,000 Impossible, how could they possibly OVER budget their debt?

Technology…………. + $3,000,000 The 2014-15 total appropriation budget was 4.6 million dollars for this category. Increasing it by 3 million is an increase of 65% of the total yearly budget!

It is now obvious that the schools NEVER needed the 6 extra million dollars you gave them last year so they DO NOT need it for 2015-16 either. Take this “gift” and use it to restore the Sheriff’s budget, give the Police and Fire the raises they DESERVE and pay for the new school roofs instead of financing them as suggested by Mark Whitaker.

This proves that the School Board is continuing their practice of using the citizens’ tax dollars as monopoly money. You are choosing to ignore instructions and recommendations issued by a Grand Jury! The entire budget fiasco we have witnessed since the end of March is directly attributed to the schools. Add this 5.6 million to the 6.5 million you insist on giving them yet again and you have more than the 11.7 million you portrayed as a problem.

04/21/2015

Eight Portsmouth businesses robbed in 10 days http://dlvr.it/9TXt3M

Capt. Rusty Venters said police believe one person might be involved in more than one of the robberies. In each crime, one person would enter a business and demand money, he said.

04/21/2015

Two more top Portsmouth officials depart http://dlvr.it/9RPpJw

Police Chief Edward Hargis, shown, announced Friday that he is retiring on June 1. The day before, Finance Director Carol Swindell reported that she's resigning on May 1.

04/21/2015

Why are Portsmouth officials out? Accounts differ http://dlvr.it/9Q3kXZ

The city manager and attorney either retired or were forced out. The reason was either race-related or not. Two councilmen offered differing accounts. Others opted to stay mostly silent.