CLARKSDALE, Miss. — The mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi, is at odds with some members of the Clarksdale Public Utility board and is looking to have three of them fired.
The five-member board voted 3 to 2 to reinstate Maple Melton, the head of customer service, even though she was accused of violating policy.
Mayor Bill Luckett is mad because Melton has her job, even in light of new accusations.
“I just said, ‘Enough is enough.’ These board members need to be looked at for their actions,” he said.
Thursday, Luckett didn’t hide his displeasure with three members of the Public Utilities board.
Mayor Luckett wants to terminate Jimmy Wiley, Donald Clark, and Golden Sharpe for voting to reinstate employee Melton, not once but twice.
Melton, who is head of customer service, was fired in December for violating policy.
The mayor said those violations included helping some members of the public extend their bills indefinitely.
“In other words, roll them over and roll them over such that even though they’re not paying their bills, no disconnect order has been entered or at least carried out,” Luckett said.
Melton appealed her firing and was reinstated in January.
Since then, however, another allegation has surfaced, one the mayor said involves Melton taking money from the Municipal School District’s utility account.
“And converted it or embezzled it and put it over on her account as a credit. And has, in fact, paid one and half or two of her own utility bills with the School District’s money,” Luckett said.
We stopped at the CPU office where Melton works and were told she wasn’t able to talk, but Clarksdale utility customer John C. Brown, deacon at Mt. Eagle MBC, did want to talk.
Brown said he doesn’t like the idea of someone getting a pass on paying their utility bills.
“We all have our light bills to pay and we’re supposed to pay them. If you need an extension, you call and you get it and you pay the ten dollars and keep on going,” he said.
Mayor Luckett said an independent auditing firm found what it called “material weakness” in internal controls at Clarksdale Public Utilities.
The mayor has called a special meeting for February 20 at 4 p.m. at Clarksdale City Hall, where he intends to make good on his promise to fire the three CPU board members.
We’ll let you know what happens.