Fred Clark frequently didn’t pay his utility bills on time at his law office while he was a commissioner for Greenwood Utilities, but his lights never got cut off.
His past-due balance grew at one time to almost $2,000, and Clark went more than three months last year without making a payment.
It’s a clear violation of the utility’s payment policy.
The policy calls for service to be turned off 15 days after the bill is due. Greenwood Utilities has the option of granting two five-day extensions per year if a customer appears in person at the office or submits a written request.
Nothing in the utility’s records indicates Clark’s service was ever disconnected for delinquency.
Carolyn Randolph, the utility’s vice president of office administration, declined to answer why Clark’s power wasn’t turned off. She said someone else would call a reporter about the matter, but no one did.
Clark said this morning that he never asked that his service not be turned off.
“I never requested any special favors of Greenwood Utilities. All bills to them have been paid. I don’t owe them a dime, one red cent,” he said.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams said the late bills played a part in Clark’s replacement on the board along with his absence at several crucial board meetings.
The City Council voted 4-2 Tuesday to appoint farmer Tommy Gary to take Clark’s expired spot on the utilities commission after McAdams recommended Gary. Clark had served on the board for more than 20 years.
McAdams said Clark set a poor example by not paying his bills. Everyone else’s electricity is turned off immediately if they don’t pay unless they set up a payment plan because of a job loss or some similar hardship, the mayor said.
“You have to lead by example. That to me, he did not do the right thing, and he knows it,” she said.
The mayor said Greenwood Utilities is one of the city’s most important assets through providing the most affordable rates possible to customers.
“When you start acting irresponsibly, we have to put another person on there,” McAdams said.
Clark said the real reason he was not reappointed is political.
“The mayor is using this as an excuse to not reappoint me, but I want to reiterate that this is all political in nature, and it is all the handiwork of Sam Abraham,” he said.
If the public believes that the Leflore County chancery clerk wasn’t involved in McAdams’ decision, “Ask them to just remember where her victory party was,” Clark said.
The party in 2009 was held at the home of Lee Abraham, a Greenwood attorney and Sam Abraham’s brother.
Clark has also said that he is being penalized for fighting “political corruption” in Leflore County. Clark investigated fraud allegations on behalf of District 3 Supervisor Preston Ratliff in his disputed election loss to Anjuan Brown. A judge’s ruling is still pending in that case.
Because Greenwood Utilities is city-owned, its customers’ payment histories are public record. The Commonwealth sought all three commissioners’ histories from Jan. 1, 2007, to Sept. 30, 2011, after filing a public records request in October.
Chairman James Quinn has paid on time for both his home and real estate office, according to his payment history.
The board’s third member, Annie Pearl Washington, doesn’t have an account, according to Randolph.
Clark’s history is littered with delinquency notices.
In fact, he’s been issued one every month for the past two years on his law office.
The amount due spiked to $2,151 in October 2010 after Clark went more than three months without making any payment. He got the account settled up on Oct. 27, 2010, but his balance was back over $1,000 by February of this year. He settled that overdue amount later that month.
At times, Clark’s account did show a positive balance, reflecting that he had paid more than was owed.
The most Clark ever owed was $2,336 in April 2008, of which $1,981 was past due.
On seven occasions from February 2007 to January 2008, according to the utility’s records, Clark’s monthly payment was apparently returned for insufficient funds. He was charged a $20 returned check fee each time.
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
