CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Commonwealth’s Attorney Matt Hamel, elected to office in 2021 after serving on City Council, has resigned from the local Republican party, stating that it has “lost its way.”
In a letter to party chair Nicholas Proffitt dated Nov. 5, Hamel said the party “has deviated from its core principles and accepted unethical behavior as the norm.”
Hamel names prominent Republicans and current City Council members.
Hamel claims former congressman Randy Forbes threatened to withhold support for Hamel’s political campaign because Hamel would not support the party’s desire to change when Chesapeake held its elections for City Council. Hamel said Forbes’ wife Shirley Forbes raised concerns of conflict of interest — by receiving substantial consulting fees from developers, which Hamel said were in return for her influence on city council to approve those developers’ projects.
Hamel’s letter also mentions council members Amanda Newins and Debbie Ritter.
Newins was charged but eventually acquitted of elder abuse stemming from a lawsuit brought against her by her great aunt.