Receipts show Southaven Mayor Greg Davis, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008 on a family-values platform, charged the city $67 for a purchase at a gay sex shop in Canada. The Mississippi auditor on Nov. 2 demanded Davis pay back more than $170,000 for personal expenses billed to taxpayers. There are no criminal charges from the auditor’s investigation. The FBI confirmed Dec. 7 that it is investigating Davis after the auditor’s probe showed possible violations of federal laws.
The Commercial Appeal reported Friday that Davis has repaid about $96,000.
Southaven is a suburb of Memphis, Tenn., and has grown rapidly in recent years. With a 2010 population of 48,982, it is now Mississippi’s third-largest city.
The auditor’s office provided Southaven officials with copies of Davis’ receipts. Aldermen originally approved paying the mayor’s expenses and now say they’re reviewing hundreds of pages of the documents to see whether some of the receipts were for legitimate city business.
The Commercial Appeal reported it obtained Davis’ receipts through a Freedom of Information request to Southaven. The newspaper reports Davis billed the city for expensive dinners and thousands of dollars in liquor. Although officials are allowed to charge for business meals, it was not immediately clear how many of Davis’ food and liquor purchases were for business.
The auditor’s office confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that Davis billed the city for the $67 purchase at Priape, which describes itself on its website as "Canada’s premiere gay lifestyle store and sex shop."
Davis declined to comment on the expenses, saying his attorney had told him not to talk.
"I can’t say anything," Davis told the AP on Friday.
The 45-year-old mayor told The Commercial Appeal he doesn’t remember what he bought at the sex shop, which he visited on a recruitment trip with warehouse developers.
Davis, who divorced this year, told The Commercial Appeal on Thursday that he is gay. It was the first time he had said so publicly.
"At this point in my life and in my career, while I have tried to maintain separation between my personal and public life, it is obvious that this can no longer remain the case," Davis said. "While I have performed my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive individual — and still continue to be a very conservative individual — I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay."
Alderman Ronnie Hale said he and his colleagues are reviewing receipts to find spending they remember as city business to try to accurately show the amount Davis must repay.
Hale said he had examined roughly one-third of the stack by Friday and recognized some that were connected to municipal meetings.
"I feel like the majority of the receipts are legitimate," Hale told AP. "It’s just that he doesn’t have documentation."
Hale acknowledged Davis appears to have spent city money on personal purchases, but said he supports Davis continuing as mayor.
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