An emotional Fifth Ward Councilman Edwin Martell accused his opponent Joey Sandlin of smearing him and the city in a Facebook live video on Sunday evening.
“My opponent, Joey Sandlin, has really made this whole process really disgusting.” Martell went on to say that Sandlin had attacked both him, the city, and the many organizations that had worked to improve the community.
Martell seemed especially upset about recent candidate profiles in the Portsmouth Daily Times. “To say that city council is not pro-business is false, it is a lie. The criticism we receive as a city is sickening and disgusting”. He said he was “In awe of the lack of knowledge that is going on with some of these candidates. It’s disheartening to know that someone who has never been a part of anything related to our community is allowed to criticize the individuals and organizations that have put in tons of work.”
I Never Attacked Martell
We reached out to Joey Sandlin for comment and here’s what he had to say. “For the record, I’ve never personally attacked councilmen Martell. I’ve never called him a liar or any other name. In the newspaper profile, he talks so much about I never even used his name. I only cast my vision for the future of Portsmouth.”
Sandlin refuted other statements in the video. “I respectfully disagree with his statements in this video. My quote is ‘The business of the Portsmouth City Council is to do the city’s business. New roads, sewers that work, and clean drinking water. Pro-business council. I’ve never spoken negatively about any organization in Portsmouth. I only said I’m not a member of any of them. So, my only agenda is to do the work and business of Portsmouth City Council.”
Martell was appointed to the Fifth Ward seat back in January 2020. This is his first election campaign. The councilman missed the filing deadline to appear on the ballot and is running as a write-in candidate. The election takes place on Tuesday.