TEXARKANA, Ark. - A former Bradley, Arkansas, mayor alleges in a federal lawsuit that the city failed to pay her salary in all months she served and that what she was paid amounted to less than minimum wage.
The suit, filed Nov. 22 on behalf of Patricia Harris, alleges the city is guilty of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. Harris, who used the names Renee Ikegulu and Renee Ikegulu-Harris while mayor, is represented by the Little Rock-based Sanford Law Firm and the suit is pending in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas.
Bradley City Attorney Jake Potter said he cannot comment on pending litigation.
Little Rock lawyer Josh Sanford said Harris was sworn in as Bradley's mayor in August 2016 and that her service concluded at the end of 2018. Harris was defeated by a few votes in December 2018 by Bradley's current mayor, Jason Martin. Martin said he cannot comment on pending litigation.
According to the suit, Bradley's mayor earns a monthly $600 salary.
Harris alleges she worked at least 20 hours per week performing duties as mayor and that the money she was paid amounted to $6.82 an hour which is less than the state's $9.25 per hour minimum wage. Harris further alleges that funding issues resulted in her receiving no pay in some months during her time as mayor.
"During a portion the time Defendant employed plaintiff, defendant was unable to pay some or all of plaintiffs wages. Plaintiff entered into an agreement with defendant to defer payment of those wages while defendant improved its financial condition," the complaint states. "Plaintiff requested payment of the deferred wages and defendant refused to pay the full amount owed."
The complaint alleges the city failed to keep accurate records of the hours Harris worked as mayor.
"We want to make sure that she is not being cheated out of any money she's entitled to either under the statute or the ordinance that provides for payment to the mayor, so we'll have to look at the city's records before we're comfortable saying what she's owed," Sanford said Monday in an interview with the Gazette.
The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey. The case docket shows Bradley has not yet been served with a copy of Harris' complaint and no hearings are currently scheduled.