Portsmouth appoints its 4th permanent city manager in as many years

PORTSMOUTH — The City Council has selected a new permanent city manager, marking the fourth hire in as many years.

Following a closed session Monday, City Council appointed Steven Carter to the position in a 4-3 vote. Mayor Shannon Glover and council members Bill Moody and Mark Hugel voted against Carter’s appointment, saying they each would have preferred the interim city manager keep the job.

Carter is currently the city manager of Albany, Georgia. He was hired for the role in 2021 after serving as interim. The U.S. Air Force veteran has degrees in computer information systems and a master of business administration from Liberty University, according to a copy of his resume obtained by The Virginian-Pilot. Before his appointment as city manager, Carter served as the chief information officer for Albany and Dougherty County in southwestern Georgia.

Carter will start on April 22 with a $255,000 annual salary, according to the motion approved by Portsmouth City Council.

City leadership has undergone significant upheaval in recent years, with three city managers taking the reins over the past four years. Since January 2023, Mimi Terry, the city’s former chief financial officer, led the city in an interim role.

Though Terry was present in City Hall while council met in closed session, she had left by the time council members entered the mostly full chambers to take the formal vote. A slew of individuals sat near the front wearing maroon shirts in support of voting for Terry.

Moody said the council considered three candidates and Carter was his second choice. He praised Terry for serving the city “very admirably” during her tenure.

“There were a lot of issues when she came in as interim and she wrapped her arm around those problems and got them resolved and she righted the ship,” Moody said. “I think in that respect, she did a tremendous job.”

Hugel said though he supported Terry, the new city manager will need “the full support of all of us.”

Glover said many words came to mind for Terry: compassionate, professionalism, concerned, commitment, diligence.

“(Ms. Terry) didn’t get the support that she deserved. She came here as an interim and that woman went to work,” Glover said. “Our city has lost something today.”

Council members have been working with Korn Ferry executive search firm since last year to help recruit for the city’s top position, which essentially amounts to being the city’s CEO. The council had opted to allow Terry to lead them through this year’s budget process before taking the next steps on a permanent appointment because of her background in finance.

However, with her departure, the council also voted 5-2 Monday to contract with Berkley Group to provide interim city manager services at the rate of $210 per hour, effective immediately.

A city manager is tasked with carrying out the council’s vision, developing a budget, supervising city employees and selecting department heads. The city is expected to head into budget discussions in the coming weeks.

Council member Vernon Tillage told The Virginian-Pilot he believes council made the right decision following the official search they all agreed to last year.

“I think this is a great opportunity for Portsmouth to begin to move in the right direction,” Tillage said. “I’m very optimistic and hopeful that Mr. Carter will come in and serve the citizens of Portsmouth well. Ms. Mimi Terry, I believe she did the best she knew how and I thank her for her service.”

The council abruptly fired its last two city managers who served before Terry. Former Portsmouth Police Chief Tonya Chapman served as city manager for six months before she was fired in January 2023 after new council members took office. Chapman had returned to the city following a 2019 departure from the police department after the council fired her predecessor, Angel Jones, in a divided and unexpected vote in May 2022.

Following Jones’ firing, she filed a lawsuit against the city alleging wrongful termination and levying explosive political corruption allegations against the majority of council members who voted to terminate her. Most of those counts have since been dismissed in court.

Before Jones, Lydia Pettis Patton served as city manager between 2015 and 2020, resigning under pressure related to her suspension of a former police chief.

“We have had a lot of turnover in this city,” Glover said. “And I shared with my colleagues if you think that you’re going to bring someone else into this city and they’re going to do a whole better job and not make any missteps, well, you probably are not thinking right.”

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com