Mayor Sam Jones Has Cancer

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones has cancer and has spent the past 3 weeks in an Arkansas hospital getting treatment.

According to city officials, the mayor was diagnosed with multiple myeloma late last year and only told key city employees. In February, he traveled to Arkansas to start outpatient treatment.

Mayor Jones has a makeshift office at an apartment there. His employees say he's still running the city even though he's hundreds of miles away. City Attorney Larry Wettermark tells us it still feels like the boss is around. "He's quite a force around city hall. We sure have felt that force while he's away. He's been in constant email contact, telephone contact. In many ways, he's put more demands on his staff while away than if he had been physically here."

Mayor Jones decided to go public with his illness after people around town starting asking "Where's the Mayor?"

He's wrapping up the first of three treatments. The Mayor is expected to be back in town next week.