Lowndes County Tax Assessor and Collector Greg Andrews has paid a $15,000 fine after the Mississippi Ethics Commission determined he violated state ethics laws.
An investigation conducted by the Ethics Commission found Andrews employed his wife in the Tax Assessor and Collector”s Office and recommended pay raises for her at least 11 of the last 12 years.
Andrews” wife, Alicia Andrews, resigned from his office in April as a result of the investigation.
Mississippi”s Ethics in Government Laws prohibit a government official from using his or her position to benefit a relative such as a spouse.
Greg and Alicia Andrews began working in the tax office more than 20 years ago, and worked there for a few years before they were married. Greg Andrews became the county tax assessor/collector in 1996. Greg Andrews” attorney, Jeff Smith, had said that he believed Andrews and his wife were “grandfathered in” before ethics rules took effect.
The Ethics Commission ordered a total fine of $60,000, but suspended $45,000 on the condition that Andrews commits no further ethics violations during the remainder of his current term in office. The Ethics Commission received the payment last Thursday and deposited it into the State General Fund.
Andrews” fine payment comes two years after he was fined $1,200 by the Ethics Commission for purchasing land at tax sales held by his office.
The 2006 ethics investigation revealed Andrews had purchased four parcels of property at county tax sales, for which he received $263.55 in interest payments from the county.
The recent case was the first reviewed under the Ethics Commission”s enhanced authority. Last year, the Mississippi Legislature doubled the maximum fine in ethics cases to $10,000 per offense and gave the commission the power to hold hearings and impose penalties. Andrews agreed to settle the case before any hearing was held.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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