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City Employees Seek Restraining Order Against Mobile Mayor

45 views · Published 16 February 2014 · 2:19 · Indexed 28 September 2026

Channel: NBC 15 · 2014 · News & Politics

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MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) A group of city employees in Mobile are heading to court over city pay raises.They have already filed an injunction over the once promised 2.5 percent pay increase.Former Mayor Sam Jones proposed the raise during his reelection. And the city council approved those raises in the budget. But at the end of the year, Mayor Sandy Stimpson told employees that was not possible because the city is currently facing a $4 million dollar deficit, which was revealed in a preliminary audit. The Mobile United Public Service workers said the mayor overstepped his bounds when he decided to take away those raises. The group's attorney, Phil Leslie said in the lawsuit that the pay raise is a legal benefit to which his clients are being wrongfully deprived.I had filed on their behalf a complaint for a TRO which is short for a temporary restraining order, said Leslie. The restraining order request is against Mayor Stimpson, basically asking a judge to restrain the mayor from taking away the raise.In court Wednesday morning, a judge denied that request.But the fight isn't over. An preliminary injunction hearing will be held on January 29 to discuss whether the mayor's decision is within the parameters of the Zoghby Marietta Act, the state law that dictates city business.We do stand firmly on the grounds that the mayor has the authority to act in the manner he has acted and the law supports that. The mayor is the chief executive officer for the city. With regards to decisions dealing with financial well beings of the city, the mayor sets those things out. So it's in his power as chief executive to make those decisions to make sure we stay within the financial guidelines we're required to by law, said Mobile City Attorney Ricardo Woods.

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