The Trenton Times published the following article on March 21, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Trenton council investigates workers’ compensation claim from Trenton Mayor Tony Mack’s half-brother
By Erin Duffy/The Times of Trenton
on March 21, 2013 at 9:00 AM, updated March 21, 2013 at 9:05 AMTRENTON — Stanley “Muscles” Davis, the incarcerated half-brother of Mayor Tony Mack, will have to wait a bit longer for a decision on whether council is going to pay him $5,000 for two workers’ compensation claims.
The former supervisor at Trenton Water Works, who was jailed last year for his role in a scheme to use city workers and gear for private gain, filed a claim in 2008 for a lower back injury and petitioned the city recently for increased disability.
Somewhat wary of Davis’ claims, Council members withheld approval Tuesday so they could look into the claims more closely.
In a Feb. 6 letter, workers’ compensation attorney John Montemurro recommended the city settle with Davis, 52, after a Jan. 22 hearing in New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Court.
Davis is currently serving a six-year sentence at Mercer County Corrections Center after pleading guilty to two counts of official misconduct last year for his role in orchestrating a side jobs scheme involving the city-owned water utility.
Davis had TWW crews perform work for residents at private homes using city equipment while billing the city for overtime and was eventually caught in 2010 by an undercover investigator for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office posing as a homeowner.
Sentenced last September, Davis must serve four years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
Council President Phyllis Holly-Ward and business administrator Sam Hutchinson said Tuesday night that the city’s workers’ compensation claims in general deserve more scrutiny. Excluding Davis’ settlement, council approved three settlements totaling $36,135 Tuesday night.
“What is going on with all these workers’ comp claims?” Holly-Ward asked. “There just seems to be a lot. We need a report on all that this is costing us, who’s the doctor seeing all these people, are there any threads? What’s the billable cost? It’s really a concern.”
Hutchinson said he agreed and had asked for a face-to-face meeting with the doctor diagnosing many of the claims.
“I have concerns as well,” he said.
Contact Erin Duffy at (609) 989-5723 or eduffy@njtimes.com