Mayor Refuses to Sign City Pay Checks
By: Meagan Fitzgerald
Updated: August 14, 2009
City employees waited and waited while watching their pay checks sit in plain sight unsigned.
Bobby Washington is a Grambling Police Officer and he said, "I've been here since about 10, normal pickup time is 10 o'clock and it's about 12 o'clock now, so we, myself and other employees been waiting."
Christopher Moore said, "She's holding employees checks hostage."
Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Moore says he has bills that have to be paid.
Moore said, "I might go and default on my bills because now I have to write checks and if I've already written a check and if it's not in the bank by a certain time my check's gonna bounce."
Mayor Martha Andrus wouldn't open the door. So, I called her and she hung up on me. But, moments later, there she was, grabbing the checks from her door. An hour after that, the checks were signed. But, the mayor refused to sign her check, in fact, it's still on her door and city council members say it's because she's refusing an already approved pay increase."
Councilman Edward Jones said, "In the month of July, employees, including the mayor, were paid by the new salary rate, but this pay period the mayor wants her salary to reflect her old salary."
Council members say unless the mayor puts her request in writing they're not able to make the change.
Jones said, "I spoke with her and asked her and asked her not to penalize the employees because of the discrepancy in her pay check but she never told me why."
Bobby Washington is a Grambling Police Officer and he said, "I've been here since about 10, normal pickup time is 10 o'clock and it's about 12 o'clock now, so we, myself and other employees been waiting."
Christopher Moore said, "She's holding employees checks hostage."
Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Moore says he has bills that have to be paid.
Moore said, "I might go and default on my bills because now I have to write checks and if I've already written a check and if it's not in the bank by a certain time my check's gonna bounce."
Mayor Martha Andrus wouldn't open the door. So, I called her and she hung up on me. But, moments later, there she was, grabbing the checks from her door. An hour after that, the checks were signed. But, the mayor refused to sign her check, in fact, it's still on her door and city council members say it's because she's refusing an already approved pay increase."
Councilman Edward Jones said, "In the month of July, employees, including the mayor, were paid by the new salary rate, but this pay period the mayor wants her salary to reflect her old salary."
Council members say unless the mayor puts her request in writing they're not able to make the change.
Jones said, "I spoke with her and asked her and asked her not to penalize the employees because of the discrepancy in her pay check but she never told me why."
