JACKSON, MS (abc24.com) - It's a 'who's who' of Southaven city leaders in Jackson, Mississippi as Southaven Mayor Greg Davis' civil trial gets underway. At issue is the more than $70,000 of taxpayer money the state auditor claims Davis must repay.
Southaven Alderman Greg Guy testified he became concerned about the mayor's spending in 2010 when the city paid thousands to Psychological Counseling Services in Arizona. Guy said the mayor told the city it was for stress management training.
The expense was more than $30,000, well exceeding the mayor's $25,000 yearly travel and training budget. Both Davis and his ex-wife Suzann spent weeks in treatment.
The questioning revealed a very private and personal struggle between the mayor and his ex-wife, who testified she was suicidal at the time the couple's 20-year marriage was ending. Suzann said she didn't know how Davis paid for the treatment.
The charge is one of hundreds being questioned by the state as legitimate city business expenses and something Southaven should have paid for.
"I go over all [the city receipts] now but before that… I did not," Guy testified. "I didn't think I had a reason to suspect that, to suspect anything."
