SOUTHAVEN, MS (abc24.com)- -- Resign. If he heard it once, Southaven Mayor Greg Davis heard it a hundred times at Tuesday, February 7th's board of aldermen meeting.
But Davis isn't going anywhere. The board asked him to step down, but can't enforce that unless Davis is convicted of a felony.
There are state statutes that seem like viable legal options, so why isn't the city using them?
City leaders have consistently said there's no legal option to remove the mayor. It turns out, they may be wrong. There are ways, but they're either too costly or they'll need much more proof.
"Resign...resign...resign," they chanted. Strong words from angry Southaven residents confronting Mayor Greg Davis head on this week.
"Everybody's still trying to look for ways to get him to resign, quit," says Alderman Ronnie Hale. "We just know there's very very few options that are even out there as a possibility."
One we looked at is a state senate bill from 2007. It says an elected official can be removed if there's a petition containing at least 51% voter signatures.
Alderman have looked at the legal possibilities, but say they don't favor the city.
"It's going to be costly for city," says Hale. "It's just not an issue right now we feel is good to follow."
Davis is being investigated by the FBI. But, the city doesn't have enough legal proof to successfully go after the mayor. Hale says it wouldn't be a wise decision.
"It would be hard to prove what they want us to try to prove," Hale tells abc24.com. "It really just doesn't fit criteria right now."
Southaven resident Lee Blair believes Davis has made the city a disgrace.
"He's made it the laughing stock of Northern Mississippi," Blair says.
"From the citizen's standpoint, he's guilty from ethical standpoint," adds Tony Garner.
Despite those opinions, it doesn't seem to make any difference to Davis.
"He knows what people think," says Hale. "He hears it probably daily, just like the rest of us do. I don't think anything he heard last night made a difference."
About 200 people showed up at Tuesday night's board meeting, most of them angry at Davis. Aldermen say as long as these problems persist, they expect to see similar crowds at future meetings.
