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Portsmouth council approves honorary renaming of Rapidan Street for Bishop Jerome L. Williams
Summary
Portsmouth City Council unanimously approved an honorary street-name designation to name a portion of Rapidan Street "Jerome L. Williams Way" after a public hearing in which neighbors and the applicant described the pastor's community work.
Portsmouth City Council voted unanimously to designate the portion of Rapidan Street between Greenwood Drive and Hancock Avenue as "Jerome L. Williams Way," following a public hearing and a presentation by the applicant.
Samuel Lawrie, representing New Testament Church Ministries, told the council the request honors Jerome L. Williams, the church's pastor, and described the pastor's local work and outreach. "A vote yes will show that Portsmouth is a progressive and forward-thinking city who honors its residents and their substantial contributions to the growth of the city of Portsmouth," Lawrie said.
The council heard supporting testimony from Ray Smith Sr., who presented a letter on behalf of the United Civic League of Cavalier Manor confirming the civic league’s vote to support the honorary name. The planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval; the clerk read the resolution into the record as a designation of an honorary street name for the specified Rapidan Street segment.
During deliberation Councilman Casimir Hugo reminded colleagues of the city's criteria for honorary street naming — including documented, broadly acknowledged positive impact and a prohibition on designations that have political or religious connotations — and asked the body to consider those standards before voting. Hugo said he supported the nomination after reviewing the documentation submitted to the planning commission.
City Attorney Lavonda Graham Williams clarified the city's legal position ahead of the vote: "There is no restriction against religious entities applying. They just have to fulfill the elements of the application, which are the impact and all the other things that were noted." Her comment was read into the record after concerns were raised at the planning commission about religious connotation.
The council closed the public hearing and approved the resolution by a 7-0 vote.
The designation is honorary and applies to the public right-of-way on Rapidan Street between Greenwood Drive and Hancock Avenue. The application materials presented by Samuel Lawrie noted that Bishop Williams became pastor of New Testament Church in February 2001 and described growth and outreach programs the applicant said served hundreds of families; those claims were presented by the applicant as justification for the request.
