The following was read to the Portsmouth City Council on January 6, 2025.
Mr. Mayor, City Councilors
It’s been three weeks since the last City Council meeting and still no answer or communication from the City about paying our legal fees. And for the record, I am aware the City’s insurance carrier Primex, after a 6-month review, issued its denial in November. But as the City Council can authorize a refund directly to us, the following comments are for you.
This senseless nightmare ended for you all on February 13th. For us, it goes on. The wound remains open, the torment continues. The City Council’s refusal to answer this simple question can only be described as willfully cruel.
The question is not that complicated. It’s an administrative matter, not a legal one. I don’t need an attorney to ask it. You don’t need an attorney to answer it.
Some may say City Hall gave you dubious evidence when six of you improvidently voted to indite me for malfeasance last January. But no one can say the circumstances are ambiguous today. After a twelve-hour trial over two nights, the malfeasance charges City Hall leveled against me as a volunteer planning board member were shown to be patently false and I had no choice but to spend over $28,000 to prove it. I had no choice but to spend $28,000 to preserve my good name in the community that I have been a part of for close to 40 years. The City Council voted to find me innocent on all charges.
These are the facts and they are undisputed.
I want my money back.
So, for the fourth time at the fourth consecutive City Council meeting, I’ll ask again. Will Portsmouth give us our $28,000 back? Yes, or no?
James A. Hewitt
Portsmouth
