“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened “
John F. Kennedy
To the Editor:
The past few weeks have been interesting times here in Portsmouth. The lack of questioning by our Council about why Jim and Liza Hewitt were subjected to an orchestrated and deliberate attack on their character and standing in this community has been astonishing.
The silence is deafening!
I have never been accused of not asking very direct questions when I served on the Portsmouth City Council. So here it goes, the question that not one of your elected officials will ask of this Council in public:
Who originally authorized and orchestrated the Jim Hewitt public lynching for two nights in Portsmouth City Hall Chambers?
(Hint: It was not the Portsmouth Legal Department who were just pawns following orders from their boss.)
We all witnessed the City struggling to make a direct case against Mr. Hewitt for removal from the planning board for Malfeasance.
The Legal Department flooded the Council packet with accusations questioning his character and standing in the community before the sham trial, accusing him of being guilty in public before he could even respond.
Good legal advice and money enabled Mr. Hewitt to have a great lawyer. His lawyer took the City’s accusations apart piece by piece and proved Mr. Hewitt’s innocence. It was an embarrassment for our City and for the Legal Department ordered to conduct the sham trial. Not sure what you should call it, the spectacle was beyond belief and very sad.
Our Mayor never should have let this happen to a volunteer citizen board member.
Many residents spoke in favor and support of Mr. Hewitt’s character which tells you how out of touch this effort was using your tax dollars. Five City attorneys against one city resident.
Jim and Liza Hewitt were dragged through the mud for four weeks.
Yes, the Council voted him innocent, but at a great cost to the City’s reputation and Mr. Hewitt’s. Is this how Portsmouth now treats our citizen volunteers? A very bad message and a black eye for Portsmouth.
So, I ask the question again: “Who orchestrated and authorized this debacle?”
It is obvious at this point.
Unfortunately, Portsmouth has become a city where some developers do not want robust debate or questions about their projects. Some developers are seeming to drive an agenda bound by money and time.
Will Land Use Board Members who question or get in the way now be subject to the same treatment as Jim Hewitt? The stakes in Portsmouth real estate and development are very high, as our real estate is some of the most valuable in the state.
In the past we carefully vetted all projects and moved at a pace where the residents and City staff made sure the new development fit in with our history, values, and all zoning laws.
We are truly entering a new era with the Hewitt Fiasco and the intimidation and character assassination of a land use board member.
City Manager Conard: “Why Jim Hewitt? What the heck happened to warrant this action? Which developer wanted him off the Planning Board so badly that he could not serve out his remaining term of 8 months?”
We as residents need more scrutiny of all future projects and attempts at rezoning, now after this very tragic debacle in our city.
When is the written apology coming to Jim and Liza Hewitt? Is the city going to cover his substantial legal bills?
The silence has been deafening!
“When even one American who has done nothing wrong is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth —then all Americans are in peril “
Harry S Truman
Peter A. Whelan
Portsmouth N.H.
