Motley talks about City Council campaign

A criminal record has not held back the plans a Danville minister has to run for Danville City Council as a means of continuing his ministry of advocating for utility rate relief for the elderly and disabled.

The Rev. Thomas W. Motley first ran afoul of the law in Henrico County in 1981. He was charged with two felony counts, one for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and the other of possession of cocaine. A plea agreement earned him a sentence of one year in prison, which was suspended.

Various misdemeanor charges, some of which were dismissed or acquitted, followed through the mid-1990s, including a charge of assaulting an 11-year-old emotionally disturbed student while Motley was a teacher at Westmoreland School in 1993. He was found guilty of the charge in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in 1994, but was then acquitted in Danville Circuit Court.

Following that acquittal, Danville Commonwealth’s Attorney William H. Fuller III and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney James C. Martin ran an advertisement in the Danville Register & Bee. The advertisement said Motley was acquitted in Circuit Court because he chose not to testify, as he had in juvenile court, which meant the commonwealth’s attorney could not question him about his criminal record.

The advertisement also said Motley’s attorney claimed he had an “unblemished” record, despite the previous felonies and a disorderly conduct conviction.

Motley sued Fuller, Martin and the Danville Register & Bee, claiming his criminal record information was illegally disseminated in the advertisement. A Circuit Court judge determined the public record information was legally obtained and dismissed the lawsuit in 1996.

In 2005, then-Gov. Mark Warner restored Motley’s civil rights, which were lost with his felony conviction. The rights restored included his right to run for and hold public office.

During an interview Wednesday, Motley said he doesn’t like to talk about the past.

“I’ve had interesting things in my past. I choose not to look back or comment; I choose to look forward,” Motley said. “I made some bad decisions in 1981; that’s 30 years ago — I hope voters will judge me on my present rather than on my past.”

Platform

Motley said he considered running for City Council for a long time before coming to a last-minute decision to run.

“I’ve been praying and fasting and talking to the Lord about it for months,” he said Wednesday.

Motley said the answer came to him Sunday night, and he was out collecting required 125 signatures of registered voters the next day.

“Leadership with Compassion” is Motley’s campaign slogan, which he said reflects the need for Danville officials to do something to ease the “horrific” utility bills seniors and the disabled are trying to pay on fixed incomes.

Motley said he has talked to people who have seen bills higher than their entire Social Security check amount, a situation he says shows there is “something terribly wrong” with the billing system for utilities.

About two years ago, Motley appeared before City Council, asking them to change how utility bills for the elderly and disabled are handled. He even suggested the adoption of laws similar to some Northern states that forbid cutting off power during the coldest winter months.

Motley said he feels his plea fell on “deaf ears,” and he decided to run for City Council in an effort to better advocate for the elderly and disabled.

“Instead of being on the outside working in, I’d be working from the inside out,” Motley said.

Motley wants to know why there is no power plant in Danville, harnessing the power of the Dan River to supply power to the residents.

“I have other bold, innovative ideas,” Motley said.

While utility bill relief is his first mission, Motley would also like to see more planning for job creation, more investment in education, work force training and improved accountability on how city funds are spent.

Motley said when there are no jobs and people can’t pay their utility bills “Danville is working against itself … there’s something wrong with that picture.”

Education

Motley said he was born in Spring Garden and graduated from Chatham High School. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University on a basketball scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and became certified as a special education teacher through Virginia State University.

Motley said he is now working on a master’s in religious theology and has taken courses toward it at several colleges in Virginia.

He is also working on a divinity degree through Virginia Union University School of Theology.

He played professional basketball in Europe and in leagues in the United States.

“I’ve played basketball in 21 states and seven countries,” Motley said.

Motley said he taught for 19 years — three in Charles City County, 12 in Richmond Public Schools, three in Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, N.C., and one year in Danville.

Motley said he received his BA — “Born Again” — in 1988, preached his first sermon in 1993 and was ordained in 1999.

Motley said his mission now is evangelizing and his ministry called “Be Informed,” which he started to help people with their utility bills. Included in this mission is a radio show on Saturdays at 11 a.m. on WDVA 1250 AM, which he uses to encourage listeners to help the elderly and disabled keep their power on.

Family

Motley has been married to his wife, Angel, since 2003.

“That’s seven years, but we’ve known each other and been best friends for 15 years,” Motley said.

Between them, they have four adult children — Patrick, William, Emmanuel and Natasha — who range in age from 24 to 39.

There’s still a “baby” at their home on Westover Drive, though, that they treat like a member of the family: their dog, Luke, who likes to jump, play and take naps on the couch.