SOUTHAVEN — A $145,000 annual salary already makes Southaven Mayor Greg Davis one of the highest-paid public officials in Mississippi. But the city also has been paying the mayor a little-known $35,000-a-year stipend for supervising water and sewer operations.
The Commercial Appeals reports Mayor Pro Tem Greg Guy moved swiftly Wednesday to ax that stipend after the newspaper obtained Davis’ pay statements revealing the stipend and other city payments that steered more than $187,000 into Davis’ pockets last year.
Davis, already under siege for a variety of spending abuses, was allowed to receive the payment after the former utility director, Chris Hadaway, died of an accidental drowning in 2009.
Guy said that as mayor pro tem, he has authority to eliminate the stipend without any board action.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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