Va. Beach mayor put on leave from bank job

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms’ employer has put him on administrative leave while it investigates his City Council votes.

TowneBank announced the decision on Wednesday in a statement issued to media outlets. Sessoms is president of Townebank’s Financial Services Group.

The Virginian-Pilot (https://bit.ly/1uKbsC8 ) reported last week that Sessoms voted at least 60 times on issues benefiting bank clients. The newspaper says the votes included granting zoning variances and selling bank clients property at reduced prices.

Sessoms has acknowledged his financial interest in Townebank in disclosure letters filed while he abstained on other votes. He told the newspaper that he didn’t knowingly violate any conflict of interest laws.

TowneBank says it won’t comment further until its review is complete.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, https://pilotonline.com