POLITICAL CORRUPTION IS A NATIONWIDE ISSUE AFFECTING ALL OF US. ALABAMA RANKS #5 AS THE MOST CORRUPT STATE. *DOJ 2007 stats
Something is very wrong in the Land of Cotton


PERTINENT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CORRUPTION ISSUES IN OTHER STATES ARE ALSO DISCUSSED


NO OTHER COMMUNITY, RICH OR POOR, URBAN OR SUBURBAN,BLACK, BROWN,RED, YELLOW OR WHITE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BECOME AN "ENVIRONMENTAL SACRIFICE ZONE."

Dr. Robert Bullard
Environmental Justice Movement Founder

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Guest Commentary-- BBA, Birmingham News, BARD and the Coziness of Special Interests in Alabama Business, Media and Politics

Big Mules in New Wagons
By: Conner Cambran

A seemingly innocuous Associated Press report, New Governor Looks at Changes in Business Recruitment, warrants a re-read and a closer look at Governor-Elect Robert Bentley’s push for a public-private partnership agency to recruit industry to Alabama.

What's the problem with Governor-elect Bentley’s current proposal?

Certainly, Alabama’s business and industry titans could offer valuable advice on how to attract more industry, right? Yes, but wouldn't the Business Alliance for Responsible Development (BARD) and their very powerful members (e.g., Drummond Company, U.S. Steel, Alabama Power, Protective Life Corp, US Steel) also stand to gain an unbalanced degree of power?
Consolidation in economic development is certainly in vogue. The Birmingham Business Alliance was created by merging the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce with the Metropolitan Development Board and Region 2020. Now, Operation New Birmingham may be enveloped by the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) as well.

Charles McCrary is not just the chief executive of Alabama Power. He is also the chairman of the EDPA and vice chairman of economic development at the BBA. He is also chairman of Bentley's transition team. Stephen Bradley, BARD creator, is the "message man" for Bentley and his form of messaging is one-sided and questionable at best.

Alabama Power was a founding member of the EDPA and was one of the largest contributors to the chamber, MDB, Region 2020 and ONB. Funding all entities meant the company had to write a lot of checks each year in an attempt to lure new industry -- industry that would consume large amounts of electrical power.
True, successful business/industry CEOs could provide insight on recruiting other businesses or industries to the state. But could BBA members use their power to block competing businesses from setting up shop in the state?  Could they propel certain projects in order to gain contracts for their own companies? 

Some argue that the elevated Hwy 280 is just such a “sweetheart deal” for developer Daniel Corporation. HealthSouth, which still owns 40% of the so-called digital hospital where Daniel hopes to have Community Health System’s Trinity Hospital relocate, for paving contractors, for White Rock Quarries (which will certainly provide the materials for the road work with their ideal location in Vincent, Alabama, a "stone's throw" from Hwy 280), and other BBA members.

The merging of big business and government and/or quasi-government agencies warrants closer scrutiny. An eagle eye, in fact. But don’t hold your breath waiting for the area’s main newspaper (Bham News) to explore the pros and cons of such a union. One of the BBA’s executive committee members, Birmingham News publisher Pam Siddall, was feted by Trinity Hospital and the BBA upon taking the position at the News.

Consider the “merger” of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Development Board into the Birmingham Business Alliance.

The Chamber formerly boasted of both large and small businesses as members and proudly printed a membership directory.

We don’t know if the BBA counts all of the Chamber’s previous small businesses as members because we cannot find a published membership directory. We do know that Alabama Power, Drummond Company, Harbert Management (formerly Harbert Corporation, an Alabama-based construction company with worldwide contracts) and other heavy hitters are represented on BBA committees by their principals.

In reviewing the list of the BBA’s Big Mule committee appointees at BBA Names New Board Officers, you likely won’t recognize all of the names. Neither do we. But we recognize enough of them to convince us that it’s worth a Google search on the others to just to see how many of the Big Mules are pulling this wagon.

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5 comments:

  1. Interesting analysis that the MSM won't touch I am betting. Big Mules have done a nice job buying Alabama don't you think?

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  2. The haves don't care about the have nots and that drives crooks to enter the game of politics and party jump. They know that these special interests will make it well worth their time, in exchange for legislation and appointments to high places in Alabama government influencing and policy making.
    Just ask Governor elect Bentley who is busy paying back the "campaign favors" with mules aplenty.

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  3. Seems to me Bentley is far too close to special interests to be a "Governor for all Alabamians." He's braying about "streamlining state agencies" which translates to make it easier for the Mules to feed in my mind.

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  4. Where are the feds? I guess all they investigate in Alabama is gambling???????????

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  5. They get close sometimes, the press, but they never follow it through and see where the trails end up. Very frustrating this is and, I might add, a disservice to readers and journalistic integrity. Alabama's media seems devoid of true reporting.

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