FERRIDAY — Ferriday aldermen will have a public hearing at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 to discuss the payment of legal fees for former mayor, the late Sammy Davis.

The board voted to introduce an ordinance to pay $129,000 in legal fees to the estate of Davis.

Davis was convicted of malfeasance in office, but that conviction was later overturned. Louisiana law allows for the compensation of legal fees of an elected official who proves themselves innocent of charges related to their conduct in office.

Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said the town has been told time and time again that they are not responsible for paying the legal fees.

“We can’t pay it, because we do not owe it,” he said. “The attorney general said we may pay it but are not obligated too.”

The vote to pay the money was brought to the board by alderman Elijah “Stepper” Banks.

“I have know idea why Stepper insisted on paying it,” McGlothin said. “It is an opinion, it is not a fact of law.”

McGlothin said Ferriday has too much to deal with already, and that adding more money the town doesn’t legally have to pay to the budget is not something he wants to do.

“We have water problems and other things going on,” he said. “Why would I pay for something I don’t have to when I could use the money to help the water plant or fix a pothole?”

McGlothin said he has even been told paying the fees could have negative consequences.

“The Louisiana Municipal Association said we could be charged with malfeasance if we pay,” he said.

McGlothin asked how the town is supposed to pay legal fees if he has never even seen a bill.

“An individual hired a lawyer to defend him, and now the lawyer is asking us for the money,” he said. “He can’t tell me how much Davis paid for retainer, how much Davis paid him before, when (Davis) hired him or how much he charged him. We don’t know any of that.”

McGlothin said this issue keeps coming up while he is in office.

“There have been two other mayors besides me since this incident happened 22 years ago and they never had to deal with this,” he said. “It seems to come up only when I am mayor.”

McGlothin said paying back Davis would also take away money that could be going toward recreation.

“If people want money for recreation, they shouldn’t want $30,000 a year coming out of the town for something we don’t have to pay for,” he said. “We could be doing something the town needs with that money.”