This letter appeared in the November 13th edition of the Birmingham News and calls into question Alabama's Governor-elect Robert Bentley's promises of a "new day in Alabama politics" and "cleaning up corruption in Montgomery."
You have chosen some of the biggest anti-reform advocates around Governor.
We have been ringing this alarm bell since the summer, as regular readers know, and you don't hire the king of PAC to PAC transfers, election influencing and big business lobbyist extraordinaire, Stephen Bradley as your transition team Communications Director and vow to be for true ethics reform Governor Bentley.
Same old, same old. When campaigning, Gov.-elect Robert Bentley said he wanted new ethics and campaign-finance laws banning transfers between political action committees and capping the amount lobbyists can spend on lawmakers. I really thought perhaps things would change in Montgomery.
Then Wednesday in The Birmingham News, I read Bentley has appointed Steve Bradley to his transition team. Lobbyist Bradley, president of a public relations and governmental affairs firm, is one of the major registered lobbyists in Alabama. According to articles in The News, Bradley has been in the forefront of PAC-to-PAC transfers for years.
If this is what we can expect from Bentley, it looks like the only change in Montgomery will be the names of the players.Grady GibbonsMountain Brook
The first comment to this LOE:
Excellent observation by the letter writer. Steve Bradley is the worst type of smarmy paid mouthpiece in the state. The fact that Bentley selected him is indeed evidence that little change will occur in this administration. Disgusting.
Bentley's transition team has its fair share of Alabama Power board members is made up of some of the biggest and most powerful special interests lobbyists in Alabama:
Stephen Bradley--Alabama Power (AP lobbyist, BARD creator)
S. Eason Balch--Alabama Power (AP lobbyist, BARD law firm)
David Cooper--Alabama Power board member (BARD member)
John Johns--Alabama Power board member (BARD member)
"King Coal" Charles McCrary--CEO Alabama Power (BARD grand mule)
Clay Ryan--lobbyist Maynard Cooper & Gale (MCG lobbied for Perry Uniontown Ventures, Perry County, Alabama, the company responsible for receiving toxic coal ash from the TVA Kingston spill. PR man for PUV was Guy McCullough, Bradley's partner in his PR firm.)
Exactly which mindset did Alabama just elect as Governor and its state legislature? The promise of sweeping ethics reforms for change or the old Big Mule ways of Alabama Power and BARD?
Trojan Horse Bentley at your service. Anybody who voted for this snake, especially in Vincent, should be ashamed of themselves now that you realize who you really voted in: BARD!
ReplyDeleteCorrection sky, ANYBODY who voted for him and the republicans should be ashamed of themselves. BARD owns the republicans in Alabama. The voters fall for the Christian conservative values garbage every time, which is really a carefully crafted pr trick by BARD.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think it's convenient that the Shelby County Commission recently had a change to the commission chairman, replacing Lindsey Allison with Corley Ellis, who is Bentley's cousin?
ReplyDeleteMore of the same from the corrupt SC GOP machine, but they didn't like Bentley at first, Byrne was their boy. Somebodies probably had a talk with the Doc and told him what was what and presto chango! They all backed him with glee. He may as well as have walked around with a for sale sign on him.
ReplyDeleteSelf interested Bingo Bob is trying to legacy build by getting in on the special session act even though he had 8 years to deal with ethics reforms and DID NOTHING.
Bentley wants to wait until March so the issue will get lost in regular session and the criminals can meet behind closed doors and take the teeth out of any legislation proposed. Probably because he was told to do it that way, just like he'll be told how and when to do everything else.
This whole affair is Alabama politics as usual by the usual suspects for the usual reasons.