George Allen in Portsmouth for Press Conference at 1 pm

Portsmouth's controversial mayor had to leave office years ago for sending racist hate mail to black leaders in Portsmouth.  Amazingly enough James Holley is African American.  He has since returned to office in his old position.

This is a surprising development because Mayor Holley actually joined Mayors for Peace and it appears this is probably a press conference where Holley will endorse Allen for Senate?

Since when was Allen for Peace?

It looks like James Holley is back to playing dirty politics again.

[UPDATE by Arturo: From the Washington Post:

Officials Close Hate-Mail Probe Of Recalled Portsmouth Mayor
Associated Press
312 words
2 April 1988
The Washington Post
FINAL
a09
English
(Copyright 1988)

Former mayor James W. Holley III will not be prosecuted on the hate-mail allegations that led to his being recalled from office, the U.S. attorney's office said today.

Holley had been under a federal investigation of allegations that he sent obscene and threatening mail to black leaders in the city.

"The investigation is concluded and the U.S. attorney's office will not be seeking prosecution of former mayor Holley," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Watt, who declined to comment further.

Holley has proclaimed his innocence since July, when he was named the only suspect in the hate-mail scandal by Portsmouth Commonwealth's Attorney Johnny Morrison.

The U.S. attorney's office, at the request of the Portsmouth City Council, launched its investigation of Holley last summer.

In November, several of Holley's associates were called before a federal grand jury to testify. His former secretary, Karen E. Pestka, had told state investigators that she had addressed envelopes in which the hate letters allegedly were mailed.

While the investigation by the attorney general's office and the U.S. postal inspector's office continued, efforts to remove Holley from office gained momentum.

In July, Morrison named Holley as the only suspect in the hate-mail scandal, saying Holley's fingerprints were found on some of the obscene letters.

The letters were sent to black leaders and a white newspaper editor, many of whom had criticized Holley for not mediating a dispute between much of the black community and the School Board over the proposed closing of I.C. Norcom High School.

Holley has steadfastly maintained his innocence. The recall effort culminated in December, when Portsmouth voters removed the city's first black mayor from office by a vote of 13,438 to 9,861.

And from the April 25, 1998 Virginian-Pilot:

Mayor James W. Holley III, Deputy Senior Clerk Monte Martin and about 25 city and civic leaders are going to New Zealand next month. The civic leaders are paying their own way. But some civic leaders are upset that, at a time when money for neighborhoods and schools is tight, the city will be paying $ 3,066 to cover Holley's and Martin's flights on Air New Zealand.

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