WEST POINT — West Point Ward 5 Selectman Jasper Pittman refuted claims Friday he discriminated against a Water and Light Department employee.
Shasta Plunkett, who was voted in as interim head of the electric department at Water and Light Tuesday, claims in a complaint filed Feb. 2 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that Pittman has, at times, refused to pay his electric bills on time, forcing Plunkett to cut his power. Plunkett says he was demoted in retaliation for cutting the selectman”s power.
“That”s crazy. He”s never cut my lights off,” said Pittman. “He”s been in charge only about six months, and in the six months he”s been in charge I know I haven”t been cut off.”
Pittman says electrical service at his home is provided by 4-County Electric Power Association, so the Water and Light Department has no jurisdiction. However, Pittman”s barber shop, Golden Shears, on Washington Street, is serviced by Water and Light.
Pittman says he visited Water and Light Friday to view his service records and found no evidence of a disconnection.
In his EEOC complaint, Plunkett recalls one verbal exchange in which Pittman told him, “Aldermen were entitled to special treatment and should not be required to pay their bills, just as they should also not be arrested if they have marijuana.”
“This guy is a big liar. Me and him don”t even speak to each other,” said Pittman. “I do not smoke or drink nothing. I haven”t had a drink in two years.
“If he”s trying to be the permanent superintendent of the Water and Light Department, fabricating a bunch of lies is not the way to do it.”
Plunkett currently is the only applicant on file to permanently replace former Superintendent Paul Young, who retired in November. City Administrator Randy Jones is the general manager of Water and Light. Plunkett was voted in as interim head of the electric department via a split vote at Tuesday”s board meeting. Pittman and Ward 2 Selectman Homer Cannon voted against promoting Plunkett while Ward 3 Selectman Charles Collins and Ward 4 Selectman Keith McBrayer voted to promote Plunkett. Ward 1 Selectman Rod Bobo abstained forcing Mayor Scott Ross to break the tie.
Plunkett”s complaint claims that at the Jan. 12 city board meeting the board told Jones to demote Plunkett or they would fire Jones.
“We did tell (Jones) that, now,” said Pittman. “The things Shasta was doing was real unprofessional.”
Pittman says Jones is complicit in what he sees as character assassination.
“You”ve got the city administrator that”s instigating all of this along with some of my political opponents,” said Pittman. “All these accusations are from people that”s mad and all I”m trying to do is what”s right.”
Pittman says he”s been in touch with several lawyers regarding the complaint.
Neither Plunkett nor Jones returned calls seeking comment Friday. City Attorney Orlando Richmond declined to comment.
Plunkett”s complaint also accuses other unnamed board members of demanding similar privileges for themselves and their friends.
“Their actions became extremely costly to the city,” his complaint reads.
Collins says he”s not one of the selectmen alluded to in Plunkett”s complaint.
“It”s sure not me, buddy. You can check to see where Charles Collins has been paid up,” he said.
Collins says he never spoke to Jones about demoting Plunkett or witnessed a board discussion demanding he do so.
Plunkett”s complaint was filed by Tupelo attorney Jim Waide along with EEOC complaints from four West Point Police officers — former Chief Investigator Rommell Matthews and officers Jesse Anderson, Timothy Campbell and Jeremy Dubois.
Matthews, the former assistant chief over investigation who was brought in by ousted Chief Steve Bingham, was terminated in late December by the city board. His complaint alleges board members and interim Chief Bobby Lane, who is black, took sides against him because he defended Bingham, who is white, from charges of racism and accused Matthews of racial profiling for arresting “primarily black persons.”
Matthews, who is black, claims he began preparing an EEOC complaint after Bingham was fired by the board in August 2009 and Lane subsequently notified him he was being reassigned to patrol duty. He says Lane obtained a copy of his letter to the EEOC and suspended him without pay.
Matthews filed his EEOC complaint Dec. 18 while suspended and was fired by the board Dec. 28. Lane declined comment.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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