Former Portsmouth City Manager Tonya Chapman is calling for her full $400,000 severance payment, stating in a letter to City Council members that reasons cited for her termination are “false” and “misleading.”
Chapman was fired last week during the City Council’s first meeting of the year by a new council supermajority that believed her termination was for sufficient cause. Councilman Bill Moody cited a clause in her contract and said her termination was for “willfully engaging in conduct” that has damaged the city financially or otherwise.
In a series of emails — sent to City Council members Tuesday evening as they met for a closed session — Chapman said Mayor Shannon Glover “falsified and/or embellished information” to solicit the council’s vote last week for her termination.
The Virginian-Pilot previously reported that Chapman attempted to leave with some severance — $300,000 and other compensation — by offering a resignation prior to her firing. Chapman, who previously served as the city’s police chief, was appointed in June. Her contract included a $400,000 severance payout if she’s fired without cause during her first year on the job, and her requested severance would have amounted to a year and a half of salary.
In a closed session meeting before the council vote to fire Chapman, Glover provided members with a document listing reasons for terminating her contract. One was because of her request to spend $300,000 for a forensic audit investigating $80,000 worth of city funds that she alleged to be mismanaged under Angel Jones, her predecessor. Jones has since filed a lawsuit against the city alleging wrongful termination and political corruption among the majority that voted to fire her last summer.
Reached by phone Thursday, Glover declined to comment.
Earlier this week, Interim City Manager Mimi Terry, the city’s former chief financial officer who previously said she was fired under Chapman, told City Council members an internal investigation has ultimately showed “no gift cards are missing and no money is missing.” Glover, the only one who voted against the forensic audit in December, said Tuesday that the matter “is closed” and council will be moving forward following the report on the internal investigation.
It’s still not clear whether the council plans to conduct the audit. But Interim Chief Financial Officer Flora Berisha told City Council members it would review the distribution and procurement processes used for the gift cards, whether any funds from the budget were inappropriately used, and public utilities billing transactions due to concerns that personal vehicles might have been serviced with public funds.
“The city was in the process of presenting the scope of work to a forensic auditing firm, determining a final cost and ensuring the proper procurement procedures were adhered to when I was terminated,” Chapman wrote.
In Chapman’s emails to City Council, she included an audio recording allegedly from a Nov. 23 phone conversation with Glover, with City Attorney Lavonda-Graham Williams confirming she was also on the call when Glover asked. In the audio, Chapman tells Glover that Portsmouth police were investigating concerns raised about the gift cards and that both Virginia State Police and the FBI had “taken a report” on the gift cards since they were paid for with federal grant money.
An FBI spokesperson told the Pilot the agency cannot acknowledge whether the matter is being investigated. A Virginia State Police spokesperson said the agency has been in contact with Chapman but couldn’t comment further.
Portsmouth police have not responded to confirm whether a report was submitted.
Chapman said in her letter that Portsmouth residents “deserve better” and should know the truth about where “the people’s money” is being spent.
“During my tenure as city manager, I worked diligently to ensure the city was acting in the best interest of the citizens, I maintained fiscal responsibility, and ensured accountability,” Chapman wrote. “I can assure you that I was a good steward of the city’s finances. I have never misrepresented any information nor had a blatant disregard for the truth, as indicated by the mayor.”
Moody told the Pilot Thursday that he doesn’t believe her severance request is justified, but declined to comment further as it’s an ongoing personnel matter.
Glover’s list also stated that Chapman overlooked the background of a deputy city manager — presumably Sunshine Swinson — and assigned her to departments in which she had active conflicts of interest. It also stated that Chapman created a lack of trust after “random acts” of terminating key employees without cause.
Chapman said in her letter that all policies were followed when hiring and that all dismissals were justified and documented. She said the mayor’s claim that she attempted to negotiate a six-month severance payment for a particular employee who was fired was false.
Chapman also pushed back against Glover’s assertion the city lost out on at least $500,000 in state funding for law enforcement officers because she requested body camera equipment, which wasn’t applicable to the grant. She said it was the police department that applied for the grant, not her.
Reached by phone Thursday, Jenkins said Chapman’s assertion is “100% accurate,” and he took responsibility for unsuccessfully applying for the grant, which is being resubmitted. He cited miscommunication as one reason for the flawed application.
Chapman also said the city’s annual financial report, which Glover said was not submitted by the Dec. 15 deadline and therefore risked the city’s credit rating, was completed only a few days later.
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
