Greenwood Utilities has a new board member.
The City Council voted 4-2 Tuesday to appoint farmer and cotton processor Tommy Gary to replace attorney Fred Clark.
“The mayor asked me to serve, and I’m so excited about all the good things that are happening in Greenwood, and I wanted to do my part to participate,” Gary said this morning.
Gary, 63, is a Greenwood native who has farmed near Money since 1970. He employs about 35 full-time workers through his farming operation and two cotton manufacturing businesses.
He said he uses quite a bit of electricity and understands the value of dependable service at a reasonable price. Gary is a member of the Entergy Regional Advisory Board and the board for the Capps Workforce Training Center, which provides training for utility linemen.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams nominated Gary, and Council Members Johnny Jennings, Lisa Cookston, Charles McCoy and Tennill Cannon voted for the appointment. Ronnie Stevenson and David Jordan voted no. Carl Palmer was absent Tuesday.
Gary will join James Quinn and Annie Pearl Washington on the three-member commission. Terms are three years.
Clark’s term expired Jan. 1, 2011, and he had been serving in a holdover capacity. Washington’s term also expired at the same time, and she continues to serve.
Clark said he’d been on the board for 21 or 22 years. He said McAdams had called him to inform him she was replacing him.
“It’s not surprising. It’s a political move,” Clark said this morning. “When you fight political corruption like I’ve been doing in Leflore County, you expect everything from your opponents. I’m sure this is coming from Sam Abraham.”
Abraham is Leflore County’s chancery clerk and county administrator.
Clark, who investigated fraud allegations on behalf of District 3 Supervisor Preston Ratliff in his disputed election with Anjuan Brown, also took a shot at the Commonwealth.
“Then when you have a newspaper that supports the corruption, it makes it even worse,” he said.
Clark said he’s proud of his service and that Greenwood Utilities has been able to pass money on to the city each year. That has prevented taxes from being raised and allowed the city to do many projects, including the recently completed downtown lights and paving, Clark said.
“We’ve made significant improvements for the city. The utility is in very good shape financially,” he said.
McAdams thanked Clark for his service and said he did a good job.
“It was just time to make a change,” she said. “I gave them a fantastic candidate. He certainly had a background in utilities.”
She said Gary is well-respected as a farmer, is fair-minded, open-minded and intelligent and has integrity.
The mayor declined to give reasons for why it was time for a change but said Clark knows why the decision was made.
She did respond to Clark’s allegations that Abraham was behind it. “He is not an influence of my decisions. I make my own decisions based on what is best for Greenwood,” McAdams said. “It has nothing to do with Sam Abraham.”
Abraham said the choice was made by the mayor along with the City Council.
“I sure wouldn’t have any influence one way or the other with them,” he said.
“As far as corruption, I don’t know where he’s fighting any corruption. He needs to look at his own backyard,” Abraham said.
This is not the first time McAdams has replaced a member of the Clark family on a city board. In January 2010, she declined to renominate Clark’s wife, Margaret, to the Greenwood school board. She said then that she did it because of the school district’s “At Risk of Failing” rating at the time; it has since risen to “Successful.”
Greenwood Utilities has been the source of controversy in recent years. That’s due in part to a switch to a team management structure in March 2010. Instead of one top executive, the utility is run by six vice presidents.
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
