Alderman requests new administration policy that includes mayor pay cut

MOSS POINT, Miss. (WLOX) - There was a shakeup in Moss Point Tuesday after Ward 1 Alderman Sherwood Bradford proposed a new administration policy that included slicing Mayor Mario King’s pay by 15 percent.

This comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed July 2 by six current and five former city of Moss Point employees, accusing the city and Mayor Mario King of discrimination, intimidation and more.

“We can’t fire him. We can’t impeach him, but as a board, collectively, we can put these policies in, and he has to follow them," Bradford said during Tuesday’s Board of Alderman meeting. He declined a one-on-one interview and referred any questions to city attorney, Amy St. Pe.

According to documents, his request to “establish a new administration policy” is in direct response to the EEOC lawsuit filed July 2.

Bradford is asking for no weapons inside city hall or any city buildings, including the mayor, with the exception of the police department. The EEOC suit alleges the mayor threatened employees at city hall with a weapon.

Bradford’s request also includes amending the city vehicle policy and bi-weekly progress reports from the mayor’s office and department heads.

But the most shocking is slicing the mayor’s pay by 15 percent due to his performance. That’s about $11,000 of what the mayor says is a $75,000 a year salary.

“Do you feel like it’s in retaliation of the lawsuit and some of the things that you’ve done?" WLOX asked Mayor King.

“I think that most of the things, as we move forward, would be in retaliation of a lot of different things," responded Mayor King. "I definitely understand that this is part of my job. Being a leader in Moss Point, this is something that I expected by being the mayor here.”

The proposal includes an additional five percent pay cut for violations of the new policies. Ward 6 Alderman Wayne Lennep proposed a five percent pay cut to all board members following the mayor’s salary decrease suggestion, but it was rejected.

“I think if a pay cut is going to be granted or warranted, it needs to be across the board for all of the elected officials," the mayor said.

All of these requests from Alderman Bradford are just that, requests. The agenda item passed pending legal review. That means the city attorney will make sure the board can enact these changes before it’s all said and done.

While the city handles the suit, all travel has been suspended, including two trips already funded. That was an agenda item added by Ward 4 Ennit Morris, who is also suing the city of Moss Point and Mayor King for a million dollars following a December incident where Morris said he was assaulted.

“We are going through so much turmoil in the city right now. We don’t need to be traveling all around the state doing things when we should be taking care of home. We should be getting our house in order," Morris said of his agenda item.

Morris added he’d like to see attention focused on infrastructure and getting water bills in order.

WLOX will let you know when the city attorney releases her findings on Bradford’s proposal.

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