Sex and Lies in Leighton

The mayor of Leighton is in the news again. Lawayne Harrison, pictured here with his wife Anna, was previously the target of an ethics investigation in 2007. The 71 year-old mayor told authorities at the time that he didn't know it was unethical to try to sell insurance to city employees. Harrison endured a reprimand and small fine, but retained his position as mayor of the small Colbert County community.

Now, a woman who rents a building from Harrison has accused him of sexual harassment. Melissa Grimes has stated Harrison approached her as often as three times a day for sexual activity. In desperation, Grimes began to record the conversations and eventually turned the tapes over to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. On the tapes a male voice identified as Lawayne Harrison tells Grimes that they do not actually have to engage in sex, but should indulge in mutual masturbation (the exact wording has been sanitized for this column).

Harrison has retained Colbert County attorney Billy Underwood who claims his client was just "flirting." Underwood proffers that Harrison is more of a talker than a doer. Both Underwood and Harrison are Democrats, so he may just be right.

What's up with this: It seems that Rick's Barbecue in Elgin is finally set to open next month. Here's hoping it will be worth the wait.