UPDATE: It would appear that a Virginian-Pilot editor has taken on the illustrious Senator Louise Lucas.
While I used the assinine lawsuit she filed against the city and compared it to the compensation city workers are losing, this writer has taken it to the streets.
1 dollar for ever citizen in Portsmouth.
Outrage is justified. Even in a good economy, it’s unconscionable for a state senator to participate in a lawsuit – over a private development proposal – against the very people she represents. It’s all the more appalling that the suit and the resulting legal fees arrived at a time when the city has been struggling with the need to make major cuts in services and/or workers. -=SOURCE=-
Original Article:
Senator Lucas’ companies filed a lawsuit against the City of Portsmouth. By all accounts she was cutting off her nose to spite her face.
Suing her constituents. How noble.
The city has received a final tally for defending itself against a lawsuit filed by two companies affiliated with state Sen. Louise Lucas: $90,037.35. -=SOURCE=-
The final bill for defending itself is shown above.
Senator Lucas:
Most city employees are losing up to a thousand dollars or more this fiscal year through unpaid holidays and employee furlough provisions. This was done in an effort to save jobs and money. Most employees I have talked to are not happy about it but at the same time, thankful to have a job and thankful that city management worked at keeping the jobs in place.
Most of these city employees live in the areas you represent. They are your constituents. The people who put you in office. Many may be customers of your various businesses in Portsmouth.
Yet you, (your companies) decided to sue them for 97 Million dollars because they wouldn’t support your hotel and conference center. You played the race card. You claimed violations of anit-trust statutes. You claimed bias.
This cost your constituents 90,000 dollars that could have been spent on narrowing the city’s deficit. This is nearly 20% 18% of the money the city saved by placing city employees on furlough (estimated 500,000 dollars). 18% Senator!!!
I hope you can sleep well at night. I wouldn’t be able to.
Editor’s Note: I took out the last line of my original article. It was mean spirited and NOT what God would have wanted me to say. While I disagree with Senator Lucas completely on this matter, attacking her personally is wrong and for that I apologize.
