The Mississippi Ethics Commission has said in a preliminary report that Clarksdale violated the Mississippi Open Meeting Act by discussing salary increases for the Board of Mayor and Commissioners in executive session on June 14, 2021.
The Board of Mayor and Commissioner decided to give themselves enormous raises in that meeting and then came out of executive session, which was closed to the public, and voted to give themselves raises totaling $56,000.
The Mayor and Board of Commissioners voted to give themselves annual raises of $36,000 and $20,000 respectively.
The annual compensation for Mayor Chuck Espy went from $86,421 to $122,421.92. The annual compensation for Commissioners Bo Plunk, Ken Murphey, Willie Turner and Ed Seals went from $26,650 to $46,650. Both Mayor and Commissioners also have expense accounts.
The Ethics Commission filed its preliminary report on March 7
The two following recommendations were reported to the city by the Ethics Commission:
“The Ethics Commission should find that the Board of Mayor and Commissioners for the City of Clarksdale violated Section 25-41-7, Miss. Code of 1972 by discussing salary increases for the board and mayor, as well as an increase in the contract payment for Cornerstone, in executive session at its meeting on June 4, 2021,” the report said.
“The Ethics Commission should order the Board of Mayor and Commissioners for the City of Clarksdale to refrain from further violations and comply strictly with the Open Meetings Act,” the report added.
Basically the Ethic Commission has ruled that excluding the public from discussions about the spending of tax dollars on pay raises was not proper, but it appears the report believes the city did not close the meeting knowing it was violating open meetings law.
City Board Attorney Melvin Miller attends all city board meetings and was at the June 14 meeting. The Board of Mayor and Commissioners and Attorney Miller have repeatedly been told by Clarksdale Press Register reporters they appear to be closing meetings illegally, but it has not stopped the city’s actions.
The community initially hoped deeming the closed meeting illegal, might void one of the largest pay raises for city officials in Mississippi history.
After the raises were published in the Clarksdale Press Register the city met again and on a 3-2 vote along racial lines, the Board of Mayor and Commissioners decided not to amend the massive pay raise they voted for in executive session on June 14, less than one week after they were re-elected on June 8.
The motion to amend the pay raise vote was made by Ward 2 Commissioner Ken Murphey and seconded by Ward 1 Commissioner Bo Plunk. Ward 3 Commissioner Willie Turner and Ward 4 Commissioner Ed Seals voted against the amendment prompting Mayor Espy to cast the deciding vote.
A petition of more than 600 names was presented by former Mayor John Mayo prior to that vote. Mayo pointed out the raises for city leaders and employees will total $416,400 annually and is an undue tax burden on a community already seeing a population decline, falling property values and declining retail businesses that provide sales taxes to the city.
The meeting was racially charged with allegations of defeated economic development projects, past raises by White mayors not being contested and polling numbers alleging Whites were out to defeat Mayor Espy.
The June 14 vote prompted outcry from a community that feels the money could be better spent on law enforcement, street repairs and infrastructure and worried about the long term tax burden after this board is gone.
That June meeting saw more than 89 people pack the board room at city hall with Mayo speaking against the raises and presenting the petition with 600 names and Kerry Alexander and Mary Frances Dear-Moton speaking for it.
Espy repeatedly gaveled down comments from the public even announcing that anyone identified as making remarks would be removed by police.
Alexander said the community concern was based on race, pointing to the recent election where Espy was re-elected by the vote from Black wards. He added this smear campaign also accuses Espy of not living in Clarksdale and not sending his children to Clarksdale schools.
Alexander also said Chamber Executive Jon Levingston’s salary of $165,000, Clarksdale Public Utilities Executive’s salary of $160,000 and former County Administrator Hugh Jack Stubb’s salary of $150,000 were all higher than the raise for Espy, but they were White. Alexander also pointed out when Daniel Vassel, who is Black, became County Administrator, he was paid $90,000.
Alexander added former White mayors Bill Luckett and Richard Webster also raised their salaries – not as much as Espy – but there was no out-cry from the White community.
Dear-Moton pointed to her mother marching for civil rights and said it was time for Clarksdale to work together. She also said her ex-husband was a Commissioner and worked long hours at the job. Dear-Moton said the salary should be the same as county supervisors across the state that are paid approximately $40,000 a year.
Mayo said this was not about race, but about money.
“Can any one of you tell us where that money is coming from? What is your plan?” asked Mayo. “Or, are you planning to use pandemic money and kick the issue to the next board when you leave and enjoy a cushy retirement on the backs of Clarksdale taxpayers?”
Mayo said his petition drive sought to collect 500 names and gathered 600 with at least 200 of those from the black community. He urged city officials to do the right thing for the future of Clarksdale.
After public comment, Plunk railed at Mayo, threatened to resign, said he was not running again and being 100-percent disabled he would not get the raise. Plunk cursed and was gaveled down by Espy.
Murphey and Turner did not comment. Seals said the board was legal in all they have done.
Espy spoke for the next 10-minutes about how he has been thwarted by the White community on bringing a grocery store, hotel, water park and housing development to Clarksdale. He pointed to Emails in the possession of Chamber Executive Levingston and Engineer Terry Smith as backing some of those claims.
He alleged malfeasance by previous mayors.
Espy said he had saved the city millions by renegotiating city insurance, reducing police overtime and officers and, working with Levingston, had brought over 300 jobs to the community.
Espy pointed to anxiety by the White community that the city and county are now led by African Americans. He said 98-percent of those who voted for him were Black.
Murphey became emotional when he made the motion to amend the budget.
Having already voted for the pay raises in June, the process required the board to first vote to amend the pay increase and then move to the next step which would have been to set the new pay amount. With the amendment failing there was no vote on reducing the new pay raises.
The pay raises began in July.
