PORTSMOUTH — The town finally got to say “thank you” Monday night to Jim Seveney after a lifetime of public service, including 22 years in elected office.

The Town Council presented Seveney, a Democrat who represented District 11 (Portsmouth, Bristol, Tiverton) in the Rhode Island Senate before announcing his retirement in June 2022, with a Proclamation of Appreciation signed by Council President Kevin Aguiar. 

“The Town Council, on behalf of the citizens of the Town of Portsmouth, wishes to extend our thanks and appreciation to Senator James A. Seveney for his years of dedicated public service representing the Town of Portsmouth,” stated the proclamation. “The Town Council recognizes your many accomplishments, including serving on the School Committee, Town Council, and the State Senate. We congratulate and thank you for your untiring efforts, on behalf of our community.”

Seveney also received proclamations presented by the Rhode Island Senate (read by Sen. Linda Ujifusa, his elected successor) and the House of Representatives (read by Rep. Terri Cortvriend, who was accompanied by Rep. Michelle McGaw).

“It’s been such an honor to serve over the last 20 years,” Seveney said during a brief speech before he and family members took off for the Valley Inn Restaurant, where he invited others to join him. “You learn many things, not the least of which is with circumstances like this especially. There’s an old political wisdom: You should be on time, you should be brief, then you should be gone. So, I will adhere to that.”

Seveney said he wouldn’t “give back a day” of the 20-plus years he served. 

“It’s been a wonderful, lifting learning experience. When it comes right down to it, there’s no finer thing you can do than to present yourself to the public in trying to do something to help. I hope I’ve helped.”

He then thanked his family and the citizens he represented over the years. 

“Without my wife Val and my son and daughter, Matt and Sarah, I couldn’t have done any of us. They’re my cornerstone,” Seveney said. “Certainly to all my constituents in Portsmouth — some who voted for me and some who did not — thank you for letting me serve.”

Seveney served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2000 as a naval aviator and aerospace engineer officer. He then ran for Portsmouth School Committee and served for four years. In 2004 he sought and won a seat on the Portsmouth Town Council, serving six terms (12 years), including one as president. He won a seat on the Senate in 2016.