SOUTHAVEN, MS (WMC-TV) – Action News 5 has learned why embattled
Southaven Mayor Greg Davis is considering a run for re-election.
Davis has
decided, if he does run for reelection, it will be as an Independent. It is all
because of a poll the mayor finds very disturbing.
"We've been talking
about it," he said. "Thinking about it. Praying about it."
And now Southaven Mayor
Greg Davis and his supporters are trying to get the 50 signatures of registered
voters needed so he can run again as mayor as an independent, not as a
Republican - his party of choice in past elections. Davis said the results of a
recent poll indicated he should not run as a Republican.
"It was very
disturbing to me to find out that 35 percent of the Republican voters wouldn't
vote for me because of my sexuality or sexual preference," Davis explained. "To
me that was very disturbing."
In January Davis announced
he would not be seeking re-election for a fifth term.
But he says he doesn't
like the direction the current Board of Aldermen has taken.
"It just scares me
that the board seems to be sending us in a different direction," he said. "So
there needs to be someone who will fight to do the things we've done in the
past."
Southaven, now the third
largest city in Mississippi, has prospered
under Davis.
"He has done a lot of
good for the city," Alderman Ronnie Hale said. "Nobody's taking that away from
him."
But Hale does not think it
is wise for Davis to seek reelection considering he is dealing with legal
problems involving his spending of city funds.
"I think he is aware
that a lot of the turmoil with the city is directly related to the Mayor's
office," Hale said. "I just don't think it's a good choice for him to
make."
Mayor Davis has
until Friday at 5 o'clock to make it official. That is the deadline to file for
this year's Southaven city election. The six candidates who have already filed
to run for mayor are all Republicans. If Davis does decide to run, he will face
the winner of the primary in the June 4th general election. We'll let you know
what happens.
Copyright 2013 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.
