Town council wants more recreation

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, August 13, 2008

FERRIDAY — The Ferriday Town Council voted Tuesday night to ask representatives of Recreation District No. 1 and three police jury members who represent the town to meet with them to discuss recreation.

The issue was brought to the board by Alderman Elijah Banks, who said he was appalled by the lack of recreation available in Ferriday.

“We are sitting down doing nothing, and the kids have nothing to do,” Banks said.

The town owns a number of recreation facilities, but there is no program in place in the city, Mayor Glen McGlothin said.

A recreation tax exists, but Banks said he hasn’t seen anything being done with it.

“Seems like someone needs to be held accountable,” Banks said. “Who? I don’t know.”

The Rev. Justin Conner, who was in the audience, said the town needs to be ready to do something more than just ask the recreation district for funds.

“If you are going to ask for something, be willing to come to the plate and bat,” Conner said.

But Alderman Johnnie Brown said it’s not even a matter of money right now.

“We are just asking for a program,” Brown said. “You can’t do anything without an active, viable program. Let’s look at having a program before we worry about money.”

The council also voted to set the tax millage for Ferriday, which was unchanged.

In other news:

4The council discussed a proposal to pay legal fees owed by the estate of former Ferriday Mayor Sammy Davis Jr. to attorney Dennis Weber.

Banks brought the proposal to the board.

Davis was convicted of malfeasance in office, but that conviction was later overturned.

Town Attorney Anna Ferguson said that there is a state statute that allows for reimbursement of legal fees for a criminal defendant if the defendant was an elected official charged in an official capacity and ultimately found not guilty.

That reimbursement has to be appropriated through the legislature, though, and even though Weber has been seeking the reimbursement for 20 years, this year was the first time the legislature passed it.

“They are waiting for an attorney general’s opinion, and if that opinion is in favor of paying this obligation, then the state is paying it,” Ferguson said. “It is not the town’s obligation, it is the state’s.”

But Debra Davis, a family member of Sammy Davis Jr.’s, disagreed.

“He won his case, and he went to the legislature to be paid his money, and it was said the town owed the money,” she said. “We were told that the town was supposed to pay his fees because the charges were brought by the parish, not the state.”

Mayor Glen McGlothin said the town could not afford to pay the $129,000 in legal fees.

“We don’t have this in the budget,” he said. “I would have to lay off 10 employees.”

Brown eventually made a motion that Ferguson research the issue further and get a clarification from the attorney general’s office.

4At Brown’s behest, the council passed a resolution requesting that a Veteran’s Affair’s clinic be opened in Ferriday.

As a part of Brown’s motion, a copy of the resolution will be sent to both the U.S. and state congressional delegations, as well as the local VA representative.