PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth City Manager Tonya Chapman has had it. She claims two city leaders have breached their contract, according to a letter obtained by News 3.
According to the letter, she is clearly upset with how she is being treated. She claims there has been a breach in her contract due to the disrespect she said she's been experiencing for months.
Click here to read the full letter.
She calls out two people in the letter – Mayor Shannon Glover and Councilman Bill Moody.
When calling out Glover and Moody, she points out several incidents over the last several months when she felt that she was not being acknowledged, made fun of, ignored and insulted.
She alleges that the mayor said he didn’t trust her and the Moody allegedly said she wasn’t qualified for the job of City Manager. She claims that they created a hostile work environment which constitutes a breach of her contract and that they have 30 days to correct it.
The letter states that she doesn’t feel comfortable meeting with either one of them alone without a witness.
“There can't be a breach on my part when my comments occurred prior to her becoming City Manager and prior to a contract," Councilman Bill Moody said in a statement to News 3.
News 3 reached out to Mayor Glover. He said "I have no comment."
This isn't the first time one of Chapman's letters is making headlines. In 2019, she said she was forced out of the police chief position by certain council members and alleged that race played a factor.
Portsmouth Vice Mayor De’Andre Barnes sent the following statement to News 3.
If the allegations are true, I think it’s sad that in these days and times, a qualified woman, specifically a black woman is still getting treated like they’re less then. No woman should go through this type of disrespect because some feel like a woman shouldn’t get the same opportunities as men. Ms. Chapman deserves the same respect as any qualified man in this position. As a father, who has daughters, this is disheartening. I hope that my daughters, nor anyone else’s daughters have to experience this type of disrespect! If true, I hope that Mayor Shannon Glover and Councilman William Moody gives her the respect that she deserves.
Portsmouth Vice Mayor De'Andre Barnes
News 3 also reached out to the City Manager for comment, but we haven’t heard back yet.
