Seems there is a political action committee in Portsmouth doing some pretty bad stuff.
It was the last straw in what – by many candidates’ accounts – was the nastiest behind-the-scenes campaign Portsmouth has ever seen.
Every cycle it seems to get worse. But somebody please explain to me why the Pilot waited until after the election to write this article? I can think of two reasons:
- The candidates targeted by the PAC had little chance to win (at least in the Pilot’s view)
- Those connected to the PAC are highly placed.
Most likely, it was some combination of the two. The main player in this PAC is Joe Haskell, a Virginia Beach resident who owns Paddy O’Brien’s, a pub in downtown Portsmouth. Two of the winners in Tuesday’s election – Vice Mayor Bill Moody and Councilwoman Marlene Randall – held their victory celebration at the pub.
I’m beginning to think it’s time to rename Hampton Roads. Let’s just call it the Wild Wild West, where anything goes.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 