PORTSMOUTH, Va. – There is another shakeup in Portsmouth’s city leadership. The city council formally voted to fire City Assessor Patrick Dorris at Tuesday night’s regular council meeting.
Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke said some of the council members met Monday night in a closed session to let Dorris know of his termination.
The firing comes after some new leadership on the city council. Vice Mayor Lucas-Burke said it’s time for a change, adding that the decision to let the city assessor go came after his yearly evaluation Monday.
“The evaluation from the majority of members deemed that Mr. Patrick did not have the experience, the knowledge to carry our city forward in the future,” said Lucas-Burke.
The vice mayor said Dorris’ firing is a personnel matter and was done with cause. But that’s not what Councilman De’Andre Barnes believes.
Barnes argues Dorris, who the city clerk’s office said has been working as the assessor since Sept. 20, 2021, was doing his job and the majority of the council was just looking to clean house.
“I don’t think people should just be fired simply because you just don’t like them,” Barnes said.
News 3 Reporter Antoinette DelBel asked, “That’s what you think is going on here?”
“Correct,” said Barnes. "He was actually doing his job the way the law requires him to do his job. Therefore, I don't see any reason why he should be fired if he was doing his job.”
Lucas-Burke, however, said the firing comes after people said they lost value in their homes because their assessments decreased. The assessor is responsible for appraising property in the city. Additionally, Lucas-Burke said Dorris didn’t hold up an agreement to implement a system, called CAMA, that helps with that.
“I wish Mr. Dorris well,” said Lucas-Burke. “We just need to move our city in a new direction with new development and homeowners who are interested in seeing the value of their homes realized in an appropriate and accurate way.”
The vice mayor said Dorris will be getting a six-month severance package of his annual salary of $114, 450. That’s money Lucas-Burke said is already set aside in the council’s budget.
Barnes said Dorris had 20 years of experience before he came to Portsmouth and believes the firing was unjust.
“There’s really no reason other than he just doesn’t fit with [what] they want to do with the city and that’s why they’re getting rid of him,” he said.
Dorris’ firing follows a pattern of shakeups in city leadership. Former City Manager Tonya Chapman was fired Jan. 3, 2023.
News 3 reached out to Dorris for comment but did not hear back.
Meantime, the city council voted in an interim assessor at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
