Does Portsmouth's attack against Planning Board member pass the smell test?

In an unprecedented first for the city and a possible first for the state, the city of Portsmouth is attempting to drum a respected member off the Planning Board by accusing him of “malfeasance.” The Cambridge English Dictionary online defines this as “dishonest and illegal” behavior.  What is behind this extreme charge against an upstanding citizen? Why the rush to purge him now when the usual practice would be to wait out the end of his term?

To my knowledge, Jim Hewitt is a man of sterling integrity who believes in civic participation and standing up for what’s right. Sitting on the Planning Board, he apparently ran afoul of Portsmouth city government — or someone with the city’s ear — by raising questions about whether a large development proposed for 581 Lafayette Road by the city’s largest developer, Mark McNabb, will provide adequate parking, and by communicating his concerns to a city technical panel.

In a curious concatenation of events, Portsmouth’s new City Attorney Susan Morrell publicly accused Hewitt of “malfeasance” when a reasonable observer would argue that Hewitt was simply doing due diligence on behalf of city taxpayers (and that the city is lucky to have him on board). Morrell also accused Hewitt of insufficient “objectivity” when an unbiased observer would argue that Morrell has repeatedly harassed Hewitt for being forthright, doing his homework and asking others to do theirs.

The city attorney’s damaging public accusations have plunged this intelligent and hardworking volunteer land use board member and his family into chaos; they have forced Hewitt to hire an expensive lawyer to defend his good name. All this is shocking enough. But there’s more.

On Feb. 12, the Portsmouth City Council is scheduled to hold an extraordinary televised public session — which City Attorney Morrell recently insisted will not be a show trial — to air the city’s “malfeasance” charge, interview “witnesses,” and hear the “accused” and his lawyer. In another jaw-dropping move, City Attorney Morrell during a recent City Council meeting publicly said the city planned to look for a “volunteer” lawyer to represent the city against Hewitt so its case doesn’t cost Portsmouth taxpayers. While Mayor Deaglan McEachern and City Manager Karen Conard looked on as if nothing were amiss, a city councilor piously echoed the city’s allegations as if they were gospel — as if participating in this biased charade does not taint everyone involved. (As if a jaundiced observer might not suppose that the outcome had already been preordained …)

The city’s unusual effort to purge a knowledgeable member from a key land use board rather than wait out his term comes at a time when Portsmouth is drowning in big-dollar development. As huge developments crowd into the city, compounding traffic, parking and other problems. As many here complain that Portsmouth city government gives the impression of being over-influenced by developers. At a time when city property taxes have just gone up by more than 6%, this case comes off as a waste of high-priced staff time and resources.

On another level, this case comes amid the rise of disinformation in Portsmouth, as social media sows confusion about reality and is used to promote real estate interests, rattle sabers and threaten those who disagree. The case also raises urgent questions about the right to civic engagement in Portsmouth’s diminished local media environment and the personal risks of being an involved citizen in America today.

Despite the well-known financial pressures on our local paper and the catastrophic drop in local reporters, now more than ever, we need our local journalists to hold our appointed and elected public officials accountable and ask tough questions.

In 2021, a blog concerned about transparency in civic life, [the Global AntiCorruption Blog,] reported that a free, objective press is key to holding public officials accountable, and warned that the decline of America’s small local newspapers increases the risk of local corruption.

Here in Portsmouth, we need journalists to ask: What is really going on here? Who is calling the shots?  Is Hewitt being thrown under the bus? If so, why? Do any of his accusers have conflicts of interest or ties to developers that might call their objectivity into question? Who will pay the “volunteer” lawyer the city attorney said the city will seek to argue its case? Is it safe to sit on a Portsmouth land use board these days? Is it safe to publicly question a developer’s project on behalf of local citizens? Or not? Has the outcome of this case been preordained? Does it pass the smell test?

The stakes are high. As the Washington Post motto proclaims, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” At a time of great hand-wringing about the threat to democracy nationally, we need journalism to shine a light on local threats to democracy and civic engagement right here in Portsmouth.

Clare Kittredge lives in Portsmouth.

More: Portsmouth Planning Board member could face removal: 'Inability to maintain impartiality'

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Does Portsmouth's attack on Planning Board member pass smell test?