“Stop being ignorant.” Strong reactions after a letter addressing several hot-button issues was sent to Portsmouth residents. Portsmouth City Council Candidates in the City’s Third and Fifth Wards say they had nothing to do with the controversial letter criticizing their opponents and the All-America City organization.
The letter signed as coming from “Concerned Citizens of Portsmouth” cited what it called “City Council’s recent attempts to take our city in a confusing and dangerous direction.”
Risk to Religious Freedom
The writer cited the failed attempt to change the city code to decriminalize marijuana and the unanimous passage of an anti-discrimination ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The writer called out First Ward Councilman Sean Dunne and Fifth Ward Councilman Edwin Martell and accused them of taking advantage of the COVID crisis to sneak the legislation through. The writer claims the legislation is part of larger agenda that is hostile to religious freedom and will lead to gender-neutral showers and put girls at higher risk of sexual assault”
State and federal laws already prohibit discrimination in the workplace or housing issues based on sexual orientation. Federal and state laws against marijuana possession would have taken precedence over any local ordinance.
All America City Award Linked To Radical Agenda
The writer also criticized Martell and Dunne for working to have Portsmouth recognized with the All America City award by the National Civic League. The writer accused the NCL of a radical progressive agenda that will eventually “introduce divisive racial and other quotas in all city hiring and contracts, as well as give city government enormous unilateral power over local businesses and institutions.”
Portsmouth received the award in 2020 and 1980 and the nomination was widely supported by politicians from all parties.
The writer went on to say “The current City Council’s radical agenda will inevitably produce increasing and deepening social divisions. Its push for “racial equity” and the implementation of the “Discrimination Prohibited” ordinance will result in Cancel Culture, gender confusion, and viewpoint discrimination, the same kind now occurring in left-dominated cities, states, and school districts around the country. The end result will inevitably be the kind of civic breakdown we have seen in numerous cities, including Portland, San Francisco, and Minneapolis.”
The letter urged citizens to vote for Third Ward Candidate Gary Jenkins and Fifth Ward Candidate Joey Sandlin. The letter mentioned Sean Dunne several times. Dunne is up for election in the 1st Ward with no opposing candidates on the ballot. Martell is not on the ballot for 5th Ward but is running as a write-in candidate against Joey Sandlin.
Community Leaders Respond
The letter drew a strong response from many local leaders. Reverend Paul Bennett of All Saints’ Episcopal Church posted on social media, “I am a priest for anyone that needs one. My office, my home, my car, whatever is a safe space. I believe that ALL people are beloved children of God. Sexual orientation, identity, race, religion, and even if you are so confused you aren’t sure how you identify, you are welcome to seek me out. I am beyond disappointed in the letter being spread throughout our community. If we want Portsmouth to be better, we need to be better. There are people trying hard to change the narrative of our region, and those working hard to deepen division.”
Quit Being Ignorant.
LGBTQ+ rights activist Pastor Bennie Blevins spoke out against the letter saying a group of people was using fear to promote their agenda. “Some of these people have probably never spoken with a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The language in the letter makes it sound like an ‘us against them’ type of scenario. Haven’t we had enough of that?” Pastor Blevins then quoted scripture. “Why are you all picking up judging stones and throwing them at everybody?” Blevins then quoted from the Book of Matthew, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He finished his pleas for unity with strong words, “Quit being ignorant. I didn’t say you were stupid. Ignorant simply means that you have no knowledge of something. Ignorance you can fix.”
Scioto County Daily News has confirmed that neither candidate endorsed in the letter, had any part in sending the letter, had any part of writing the letter, nor any knowledge it would be sent. Several independent sources told SCDN the author of the letter is Nicholas Meriwether. Meriwether is a well-known professor at Shawnee State University.
Sandlin Responds
“I am not involved nor will I get involved in the matters that have nothing to do with the city council business. Councilmen Martell’s voting record is his record. I’ll leave that for him to answer for.”
Sandlin chose not to address the letter directly but instead focus on his plans for the future of Portsmouth. “New business and population growth, new roads, sewage drains that work, clean drinking water. A safe City with strong support for police, fire, and our city workers. I will work to build our businesses and population back. This is my focus and vision for Portsmouth. I believe Portsmouth needs a new direction with a more focused Council that is business-friendly and growth-minded. One that will fix our infrastructure and support all our businesses equally and build back all of Portsmouth.”
Martell Responds
“The city of Portsmouth’s hard work was attacked and insulted by this letter. The author(s) chose to be anonymous, which demonstrates a clear lack of integrity and character. Portsmouth had the courage to declare itself an All-America City in a national competition. A panel of judges learned about our community’s hard work in our application and in our presentation that featured many great members of our community. We won. The author(s) of this shameful letter didn’t even have the courage to sign their name.”
“The letter itself contains a number of inaccurate statements that are designed to provoke fear, confusion and division. These inaccuracies would have been pointed out in the months that these topics were discussed during council meetings, but they were never presented in front of council by the author(s) of this letter.”
“Moving forward, let’s remind ourselves that one cowardly and toxic letter should have no effect on the great momentum our city is currently enjoying. We are an All-America City. We are at our best when we respect each other and work together to make our city an even better place to live.”
Jenkins Responds
Publisher’s Note:
We asked all candidates involved from the 3rd and 5th wards and Mr. Meriwether for comments. At the time of this publishing, Meriwether and Cole have not made a formal comment. Further, Meriwether has neither confirmed his role in the letter nor answered our questions to him.
Of course, we will update this article should they respond to our request for statements.
