Prichard Mayor Carletta Davis is calling for more oversight and law enforcement action amid financial turmoil. However, she blasted the media during a press conference on Monday, blaming them for negative coverage.
Davis, who has been mayor for seven months, has been in a back-and-forth with the city council after an internal assessment and state audit identified several discrepancies she said need to be addressed.
“I welcome oversight,” Davis said. “I am welcoming the DA’s office to come in, I’m welcoming our state auditors to come back. The ethics commission, any law enforcement. Every legitimate oversight authority needs to come in and review our findings. I have no problem, including the past seven months.”
Davis said an audit identified missing records, outdated contracts and issues with transferred funds, among other things. No budget was passed in 2025, so the mayor said the City has been operating off the 2024 budget.
Finance director Kimberly Wilson separated from the city last week. The mayor said her administration never formally placed anyone on leave but refused to answer questions regarding Wilson's departure. The former finance director, Patricia Scott, has stepped in to help. Davis is asking the council to approve Bob Holloman as the new finance director.
Davis said the council has refused to approve an agreement with a reputable CPA and instead wants to investigate her administration.
“The council never addressed any of those issues despite being given these findings,” Davis said. “And so, we just find it very odd that the council is asking for an investigation into the past seven months but have not addressed the issues that have been cited by our state examiner’s office and also that they have rejected the help that was being offered to us by a very qualified CPA.”
When asked to clear up confusion about whether Wilson had been placed on leave, Davis blamed the media for the negative coverage.
"The city of Prichard has been a target by the media for negative things," Davis added. "And we just don't discuss those type of things in public. We deal with our personnel issues the way that we deal with them, so that's all that we have to say about that."
Still, Davis said she welcomes accountability and transparency and maintained that allegations and rumors surrounding her administration are untrue.
“We welcome oversight, accountability, transparency and we remain focused on fixing the problems that Prichard has faced for years,” Davis added.
According to Fox 10, Council members accused of spending money without council approval and hiring more people in her administration than allowed by law. She denies all allegations.
The City of Prichard has experienced major challenges over the past several years. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office has taken over major investigations due to high crime and gang activity. The violent crime average is higher than the national average and residents report feeling unsafe in their community.
While the cost of living is low in Prichard, the poverty rate is high. In 2023, Prichard was ranked the 12th worst place to live in America by USA Today. The rankings were based on socioeconomic conditions, crime rates and blight.
The city’s water and sewer system has failed, leaving yards covered in sewage and residents unable to trust their tap water. The water situation has been compared to Flint, Mich. Along with the health concerns, multiple Prichard Water and Sewer Board members have been indicted on federal charges. Some of those charges have already led to guilty pleas for fraud.
Davis said she is fighting for the people to have a better quality of life in Prichard.
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