PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Portsmouth city manager has resigned amid an ongoing dispute over charges made against a Black state senator and others for conspiring to damage a Confederate monument.
The Virginian-Pilot reports Lydia Pettis Patton announced her departure in an email Tuesday morning, saying it's in “the best interest” of the city for her to step aside.
Her resignation comes after the city's police chief was placed on administrative leave Friday, nearly three weeks after the charges were filed against State Sen. Louise Lucas and others in the city's Black community.
Pettis Patton said last month that the police department had “continued to be engaged” in the case without her knowledge.
