The Nation - News from Dec. 16, 1987

James Holley III, the first black mayor of Portsmouth, Va., who was accused of sending hate mail to community leaders, was ousted from office. Holley, 61, who is serving his second two-year term, was recalled by a vote of 13,438 to 9,861. “You win some elections, and you lose some,” he told about 100 supporters. The recall move against Holley, a dentist and longtime civil rights activist, came after a city prosecutor said he found the mayor’s fingerprints on hate mail sent to community leaders who opposed the closing of a high school. The case is under federal investigation. Holley has denied any wrongdoing.