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| "No Opposition"? |
Conecuh County, Town of Repton--The controversial mega landfill planned for Conecuh County saga is heating up again with the owners of the landfill (Conecuh Woods, LLC) filing for a dismissal of the case citing there is "no opposition" to the landfill.
March 11, 2011:
March 11, 2011:
With more than 400 people seated in the auditorium and hundreds more in line at the start of the hearing, five county commissioners listened as Stone and his attorney took about 30 minutes to defend the Conecuh Woods LLC project that would be built on a 5,100-acre tract.
During several hours of the hearing, with people allotted five minutes to speak, six supported the landfill, while hundreds opposed it.
A hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 21 @ 11:00 am in the Conecuh County Courthouse.
Opposition to the landfill is fierce and lawsuits have been filed to stop the project. "No opposition" is a non-starter of an argument, but that never stopped crafty lawyers from obfuscating the reality of an issue with propaganda before. It will be interesting to see how the court rules in the motion to dismiss.
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| The "Republican tractor" Senator Pittman |
Baldwin County, Alabama--According to a report in today's Baldwin County Now, Grand Jury subpoenas have been served on Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant, City Administrator Greg Mims, Purchasing Manger Dan Ames and Information Technology Director Jason Colee "in that probe of the $635,000 contract to Pittman Trucking Company of Daphne in 2010" for post BP spill cleanup services.
Senator Pittman defended himself by feigning ignorance because he had not yet had the ethics training mandated by the state when the 'sweeping ethics reform package" was passed by the Alabama legislature in December 2010.
Senator Pittman defended himself by feigning ignorance because he had not yet had the ethics training mandated by the state when the 'sweeping ethics reform package" was passed by the Alabama legislature in December 2010.
The Pittman Trucking Co. is owned by Senator Trip Pittman-R and Bob James of the Baldwin County Commission. Former Alabama Governor Bob Riley put Senator Pittman in charge (along with Rep. Steve McMillan-R) of $1.2 million dollars allotted to Baldwin County from BP to administer at his discretion:
The issue has grown out of Pittman Tractor Co. winning a bid from Fairhope to provide booms around the city and the Grand Hotel in the wake of the oil disaster. Citizen activists have filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission saying Pittman’s company should never have even bid for the job, much less received it, because not only is he a state senator, but he also had been chosen by Gov. Bob Riley to help oversee BP funds coming into Baldwin County.
The Alabama Ethics Commission answered the complaints by refusing to investigate Pittman and James. Have the feds finally taken notice of the huge impropriety of the senator's (and the former governor's) actions?
More on the back-story here
*Updated Monday PM--David Ferrara Mobile Press Register story on Pittman inquiry
*Updated Monday PM--David Ferrara Mobile Press Register story on Pittman inquiry
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On top of things as usual Max!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff.
Where the hell is the mainstream press? Better yet, has anybody gotten remarks from Bentley since he signed the landfill moratorium order, and Sumner at the EC? How about the newest lobbyist in Alabama Robert Jackhole Riley?
I seem to notice a correlation in these two stories.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the noxious odor wafting from both.
If it weren't for corruption Alabama lawyers and their waterboys would go broke.
Positive first step but a subpoena is a long walk from an indictment.
ReplyDeleteIf Mr. Pittmam was functioning as a contractor, which I believe he was, did he submit estimates, invoices and receipts for the alleged work that cost $635,00.00?
If yes, where are they? Does the grand jury have them?
If he did not, why?
Was he overseeing himself?
As backwards as this state is they'll probably hail a 5,100 acre dump as a great economic boom to the state.
ReplyDeleteGovernor Bumbler's order isn't worth the paper it's written on.
GJ should widen out the net and issue more subpoenas. Lots of boys acting corruptly in the BP mess.
ReplyDeleteKant will cover for Pittman. So will Mims. So will his rethuglican friends in the legislature.
I suppose a lawsuit is considered no opposition too?
ReplyDelete(shakes head in disbelief...)
The only time I have ever seen rats jumping off a ship are when it is sinking or on fire. The Mayor of Fairhope and his staff will "Rat Pittman Out" because no one is worth going to jail for and they are jumping ship as we speak. His partners in crime Bob James and the contracrtors in Perdido already have.
ReplyDeleteFinally some movement on this Pittman issue!
ReplyDeleteThis was the quintessential inside baseball play if ever there was one. Pittman and Co. can spin it any way they want. The people know corruption when they see it.
Shakedown Alabama has to stop.
And look who's attached to it: Bob Riley.
You know we could solve a lot of this crap by investigating the Ethics Commission!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen was the last time they did anything right? If they wouldn't investigate the Pittman case then what are they there for?
To protect the crooks?
Looks like the boom is lowering in Fairhope.
ReplyDelete"I assure you nothing was done improperly or illegally," Pittman said today. "I was surprised to find out that there was some investigation going on. I just look forward to working with whoever is looking into this to get all the facts out. I'm confident at the end of the day that they'll understand that everything was done on the up and up."
ReplyDeleteTranslation: As long as I have the same feds that Senator Beason, Rep. Mask and those other republicans had.
I am so tired of the so honorable Republicans waving their hairy hands in the air, saying "See clean hands. Its so absurd that they assume no one can see the grime or that if they ignore the populace that disagrees with them, its okay for status quo as long as the new Mercedes is paid for. This type of news needs to be out for everyone to read; there is not enough honesy out in the media. Good job!
ReplyDeleteVia email--
ReplyDeleteDear Mayor Kant and City Council,
Currently the emergency debris removal contract for the City of Fairhope is held
by County Commissioner Bob James, who is a known business partner of Senator Lee
"TRIP" Pittman.
Please make it your business to address this highly unethical situation, as it
may result in further embarrassment to you and our city.
By definition, it is unethical to grant public contracts to elected officials.
This gives the public the awful impression that you are helping your elected
friends get lucrative contracts because of their positions in government.
Public Service has become public disservice here in Fairhope. It is time to
stop this.
You can end this contract by vote and renew the bid process so that we can have
a contractor for debris removal that will not be an elected public official.
The ball is firmly in your court.
I anxiously await action on this, as it is not the first time I have written all
of you about it.
Sincerely,
Christopher E. Warner, Ph.D.
510 West Chase Court North
Fairhope, AL 36532
Writer/Editor/Publisher
850-449-1817 Iphone4
Chris, James's company has held the contract for years, long before he was elected.
ReplyDelete