Newspaper story prompts decision

BY STEVE ROGERS news@dailytimesleader

In response to reporting by the Daily Times Leader, the Aberdeen Board of Aldermen Tuesday night voted unanimously to turn questions about Mayor Maurice Howard’s use of his cityowned vehicle.

In two separate motions, the board voted to turn allegations contained in a story published in Tuesday’s Daily Times Leader over to the state Attorney General, state Auditor Stacey Pickering and the state Ethics Commission.

Copies of the article already had been sent to all three offices, plus District Attorney John Weddle, for investigation into potential violations.

“In light of the information published about the use of the city vehicle, I make a motion we turn it all over to the audit division,” Alderman Doug Stone said in his initial motion early in Tuesday night’s meeting.

During the meeting which lasted less than 30 minutes, Howard tried to head off discussion by limiting the agenda, but Alderman Doug Stone used “Aldermen’s Comments” time to raise the issue. Later, other aldermen took up the issue as well.

“Allegations, allegations, allegations,” Howard said concerning the issue of the mayor’s car being in Linden, Ala. for eight days and his cityissued gas car being used twice apparently to pay for gas there and back while he drove a truck for his personal business.

“Let’s call the newspaper and report Doug Stone allowing free water use. Anyone can just come up and wash their car,” the mayor said once the issue came up, trying to deflect attention to the city allowing a downtown water hydrant to be used by merchants and Main Street Aberdeen to water flowers in city-owned downtown planters.

Aldermen also voted to ask the Ethics Com-

mission about the legality of that policy as Howard continued to push putting a water meter on the faucet and charging someone for the water or at least adopting a policy where the city agrees to pay for it.

As a sidelight, the issue came up after a merchant questioned a city utility employee about wasting gas by parking a city pickup with the motor running while doing work. The employee objected, starting a tete-t-tete that got dragged into Tuesday night’s discussion.

On the broader issue of the use of his car, Howard drove the city’s 2008 Crown Victoria, marked with city

labels and the word “Mayor” emblazoned on the side and back to Linden, Ala., April 4 and left it parked at the entrance to Kingfisher Chip Mill on East Coats Avenue at least until April 12.

According to city records, Howard, who is halfway through his first term as mayor, apparently left the morning after the April 3 Board of Aldermen meeting and bought gas for the 140mile trip from Aberdeen to Linden on April 4 at the Love’s Truck Stop just off Highway 82 in East Columbus. He bought gas again when he returned to Aberdeen on April 13.

The total elapsed mileage on the car’s odometer between the two gas stops was 120 miles, which is about the distance from Columbus to Linden

and back to Aberdeen.

The gas was charged to the mayor’s city fuel card at a total cost of $41.59.

The newspaper confirmed the costs and other details through a series of Freedom of Information requests to the city of Aberdeen and city of Linden, which took an unoccupied vehicle report on the car at 7:39 a.m. on April 6 after finding it parked next to the old scale house outside the entrance to the chip mill.

The officer, Cody Cross, took a report, took pictures of the car and contacted Aberdeen police to make sure it wasn’t stolen but left it there after being assured it wasn’t stolen.

The 34-year-old Howard, who makes $44,054 as Aberdeen’s mayor, also owns a small trucking company,

KMR Trucking, which was registered as an LLC in the state last October by his wife, Kenyatta Dilworth, at his home address, 203 S. Maple, the same address at which he has several other business and non-profit ventures registered, some under Maurice Howard and others under the name Maurice Jackson.

After driving to Linden, Howard apparently picked up a leased Penske tractor-trailer rig and drove at least one load of wood chips back to somewhere in or around Aberdeen. The truck was seen parked at the church he pastors just off Highway 45 on and off for several days.

Under state law, public employees are not allowed to drive taxpayerowned vehicles for personal use. If by some chance Howard was on city business, elected or appointed officials are supposed to get permission from their governing bodies before going out of state on public business. The Aberdeen Board of Aldermen has not authorized such a trip according to a review of city records.

In addition, he is supposed to report the use of the city-owned car as income on his taxes, especially if it is being made available for personal use or is driven virtually all the rime. According to the FOI information obtained from the city, the car is not reported on his W2. It is unclear whether he reports it on his taxes and pays taxes for its use.

Howard has two personal vehicles registered in his name in Monroe County.