PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A town hall in Portsmouth Feb. 19 aimed to discuss challenges the city faces and how to move forward.
It was scheduled to be held at Prince of Peace Church, located at 1543 Summit Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m.
Ahead of the meeting, News 3 spoke to people who live and work in Portsmouth.
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At Gosport Tavern in Portsmouth, you're likely to find John Jones working behind the bar.
He's worked there for several years and—while he doesn't currently live in Portsmouth at the time of the interview—was thinking about moving there.
“I think we need to finish revitalizing High Street," he responded when asked what issues are important to him. "There are a lot of vacant buildings down here that have a lot of potential."
He would also like to see more done to help kids, especially with so much crime in the city.
“I think it is a problem, and I do think more could be done," Jones said about crime. "I think a lot more youth programs would definitely be useful in Portsmouth. A lot of these kids in Portsmouth have a lot of potential, they just go down the wrong path."
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Nearby, the owner of Thai Basil restaurant, Renu Martin, said she wants to see more done to attract people downtown.
“Before COVID came, you had a lot of people walking up and down here [on High Street]," Martin explained. Her business is located on High Street.
"But now, there’s really less people walking here," Martin continued.
Crime is also a concern for her as a business owner, though she says she feels safe when she's out and about.
"When I told my collage people who I know, saying ‘Hey, I have a restaurant on High Street in Portsmouth,’ people say ‘I’m not going there because of the crime rate,’" said Martin.
Crime is one of the issues Portsmouth mayoral candidate and current Mayor Shannon Glover wanted to address at the town hall.
“We’re working on that particular issue every day, our police department, our city manager, our city staff, the community," said Glover. "I would say, most importantly, it's going to take everyone in the city working collaboratively together to be the eyes and ears on the streets and throughout to ensure that we are all helping to reduce crime."
He also wanted to address efforts to attract and retain businesses.
News 3 also called and e-mailed Portsmouth Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke, seeking an interview for this story, but she did not respond. She and Glover were scheduled to attend the town hall meeting and answer questions.
