By: Dee Brown | April 17, 2025
Clarksdale, Mississippi – When the Board of Mayor and Commissioners voted to raise their salaries, there was outrage in certain quarters of the community. Espy alleged that the outrage was based on his race—an allegation that was dismissed by many. Now that Espy is making his exit from the mayor’s office, his allegations appear to have some validity.
As Bubba O’Keefe emerges as a front-runner, one of his staunchest supporters is the same person who criss crossed, across the state in opposition to Espy’s pay raise. Interestingly, O’Keefe is the only candidate for mayor who has stated emphatically that he will not reduce the mayor’s salary. O’Keefe says, “You get what you pay for.”
I do not write this article to attack O’Keefe, but rather to shed light on the glaring double standard. Most of O’Keefe’s supporters are the same people who opposed Espy’s raise, including former Mayor John Mayo, who proudly has an O’Keefe sign in his yard. Mayo led the protest against Espy’s raise and gave interviews to SuperTalk Radio, the Clarion Ledger, and many others.
In 2003, the Coahoma County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 to raise the salary of the late County Administrator Hugh Jack Stubbs, who was white, from $121,500 to $150,000. Based on my research, I couldn’t find any reports of community outrage over Stubbs’ salary—a salary that was nearly cut in half when Daniel Vessel, who is Black, was hired to replace Stubbs.
It does causes one to raise the question as to why is there a selective outrage at Espy by some in the community. Why are those that vehemently opposed Espy’s salary are now backing a candidate who has committed to not reducing it.
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