Twin Groves clerk alleges shady dealings

TWIN GROVES Twin Groves City Clerk Amie Ealy is questioning financial practices in the small town she was recently elected to serve.

Twin Groves Mayor Theodore Brown cancelled the regularly scheduled Twin Groves City Council meeting Tuesday due to a lack of members to create a quorum, but said he had planned for the meeting to go into executive session so that he, council members and Amie Ealy could have a "come to Jesus" meeting and "make sure (everyone) is on the same page."

Amie Ealy interjected, claiming that Brown told her the purpose of the meeting was to "get rid of me."

Amie Ealy was elected Nov. 4, and began duties as city clerk on Jan. 1.

Amie Ealy claims that practices, such as allegedly depositing street fund grant money into the city's general revenue fund and an alleged check for more than $3,000 written to a local day care facility, are questionable. She said before she handles any financial matters on behalf of the city, she wants to make sure city funds are where they are supposed to be.

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"I know that grants are appropriated for certain things and can't be used for anything else, but they are," Ealy said in a hand-written document she was prepared to address aldermen and the mayor with before the meeting was cancelled. "I also realized that the (day care) has borrowed over $5,000 from the city. ... There was a $3,816 check written to the (day care), supposedly for taxes. How is that when the taxes for the (day care) are never over $1,800?

"I have been told repeatedly that 'it will not come back on you, your name wasn't on any of it,' but guess who has had to enter things for November and will for December and the mayor wants the street (money) in the general funds every month, so, 'yes' that will come back on me!"

Aldermen Harmon Ealy and Delmo Cain both said they weren't sure whether street fund money was deposited in the city's general fund.

Brown declined comment.

Harmon Ealy said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon that Brown and Amie Ealy were at odds.

"Basically, what I understand is that the clerk is going to come in and change what we've had going since I've been a part of the council," Harmon Ealy said. "She doesn't want to put stuff in the computer the way the mayor wants it put in."

Harmon Ealy said over the phone that he wasn't sure whether street funds are placed into the general fund, but said if street funds are ever used for other purposes, "We pay it back."

Amie Ealy wrote in her letter, "If the mayor can show me in writing that I can put grant money somewhere else, other than where it belongs I will put it there."