Dr. Bentley's Rx: Deception--Costs and In-Depth Details of Elevated Highway 280 Plan Remain Hidden

Works of "art" or outdated concrete behemoths?

August 11, 2010 Stan Diel Birmingham News--Dr. Robert Bentley, the Republican candidate for governor in the November election, today said he favors building an elevated toll road over U.S. 280 to relieve congestion.

Governor "Dr. Dr." Bentley prides himself on his medical curriculum vitae and claims to be the "smartest man ever elected governor of Alabama." He's convinced himself he's just what Alabama needs and will cure all of our ills with his own brand of corporate-infused republican medicine. Especially our so-called current state budget crisis that's resulted in deep cuts to education, slashed social services and a gutting of numerous programs that directly affect regular folks who are struggling just to get by.

“Alabama is hurting, and we need a doctor,” Bentley, a former dermatologist from Tuscaloosa, told voters in last year’s campaign. Once he took office in January and looked at the patient — the budget — he said: “We’re a lot worse off than you think.”

Predictably, the usual suspects joined in the chorus of misery: Speaker of the House Mike 'Road Man' Hubbard and Senator Jabo "Clueless" Waggoner. Neither of these two political animals experiences life by the drop as most of Alabama does. The same public who did not create the mess are the ones being asked to bleed for the good of the state's insiders economic prosperity--i.e. private profit equals public pain.

The 'Dr. who can't' seems oblivious to the practice of good-for-the-folks medicine, because he refuses to end cronyism, despite promises to the contrary, and he's created a public-private merger through ADO and EDPA that in effect allows wealthy private corporations an all access pass to the state till and taxpayer's money. In addition to allowing the appointing of like-minded players to power positions within the framework of the organization and to state offices.

Creating a public-private partnership, and placing it in the hands of Alabama schemers, won't remedy our politician and corporate inflicted ills--in fact, they'll only worsen the sickness of corruption that got us into the state we're in now by allowing more insiders to walk away with millions in taxpayer money and leave communities holding the bag. Corruption, theft and abandonment of long-standing public policy are real possibilities in PPPs as they give rise to entities larger than the original government: they can become monstrous-sized power structures with a full stranglehold on democracy and public good.

“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power” - Benito Mussolini

We're on a slippery slope that isn't going anywhere near the smaller government republicans swear they support.  Road building and economic development are the breeding grounds for these unholy alliances of state and corporate power. Foreign entities get in on the act too with groups like Cinta and Macquerie, who have been "nosing around in Alabama" looking for roads and bridges (Macquerie has one in Alabama already) to privatize and toll.

Will one of these two foreign investors own the Elevated Hwy 280 toll road? How can Alabama claim to pay for the project when the lion's share of toll fees will go out of the country? Isn't this selling off the state's infrastructure to the highest bidder? If the county a toll road runs through gets their hands on toll fees then Harris County, Texas should serve as a clear warning of the potential for misuse.
*(Must watch video at a republican campaign event in Texas of an audience member asking about PPP's and toll roads. The candidate sits down, a yes man jumps up, and with great animation addresses the audience member's query. Watch how quickly he evades real answers, executes a classic political bait and switch, and turns the argument into those "socialistic democrats" are the real problem lady!)

So many questions. So few demanding honest answers.

The special interests involved in the the antiquated Elevated Highway 280 plan are made up of some of these types of caballers: deep-pocketed campaign donors and selectively hand-picked beneficiaries of Alabama's supposedly hard-to-come-by greenbacks. Interests like the *road gang for one.
(*Section II-- "Who Is The Road Lobby?")

They're connected to Alabama's purse strings by way of Governors Riley and Bentley and consist of groups like: cement companies (ACPA SE, Cemex), an out-of-state engineering firm (Figg), and the strategically located likely road material supplier, White Rock Quarries (WRQ), who's set to blow the smithereens out of small town Vincent, Alabama. WRQ also just happens to be a subsidiary of the stinking rich Vecellio Group. Vecellio's subsidiaries include road building (Vecellio & Grogan is one of the largest in the nation) and asphalt companies among its corporate pool.

The coziness of certain players involved with the 280 idea and sheer coincidence of 'we do that too' is a bit too handy to discount as chance. Add to the mix that the second biggest take of the WRQ quarry profits goes straight into Shelby County's coffers, and their palpable disappointment that the project may not have gone forward starts to make a lot more sense to even a casual observer.

In March of 2010 ALDOT halted all work on the 280 project due to "a lack of consensus from local governments." Shelby County took a counter view to the Birmingham News and cried foul over the abrupt stoppage. (It's important to note that unchecked development by Shelby County created much of the traffic woes that exist on 280 today.) By the summer of 2010, after a full court press by certain entities working behind the scenes in all the cities that counted, from Jefferson to Shelby County, the project roared back to life as the must-build toll road to 'breathe life into our cities.'

Vincent's Mayor claimed the "town of Vincent cannot survive without the highway" and he used that claim to push through a fast vote on a resolution supporting the project. Does WRQ's Vincent Hills Quarry have anything to do with his fervent support and was he repeating instructed propaganda from BARD, who's creator and former Bentley transition team member, Stephen E. Bradley (Bradley & Associates), represents White Rock Quarries? Were Mr. Bradley and his BARD legal sidekick, Balch & Bingham lawyer Rob Fowler (also representing WRQ), the ones who led the charge to get as many cities on board as possible through those so-called supportive resolutions?

One other notable thread seems to run throughout the road gang and their high-minded ideas in Alabama: Figg Engineering.

CEO Linda Figg, who has close ties to Vecillio, suitably "impressed" former Governor Riley so much he put her company on the state dole in 2005. Figg has been raking in the megabucks from state coffers on projects around Alabama ever since, including the Hwy. 280 plan. She's a mover and shaker who carries substantial clout according to Concrete 2011:

Linda Figg: CEO Figg Engineering Group, Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.A. The Figg Group is a relatively small but highly influential consulting firm specialising in bridge engineering, with a portfolio of inspirational structures which have realised the company’s philosophy of ‘creating bridges as art.’

We would like to know why these special interest's projects, including the far from economically challenged Ms. Figg, don't seem to be suffering from the same "debridement procedure" that the good doctor governor is applying to programs that deeply hurt average and low-income Alabamians.

And why is ALDOT being evasive with their figures to Figg and others?

Queries have been made to ALDOT by numerous individuals asking for the full amount to date spent on (the now double its initial estimate of $800 million) the Elevated Highway 280 plan. So far, ALDOT is avoiding an honest answer. John Cooper, Director of Transportation for ALDOT, recently received the green light from Governor Bentley's ATRBTA board to "talk privately with an engineering company that (allegedly) came up with a lower cost estimate."

“Governor Robert Bentley believes transparency in government is critical to earning the trust of the people it serves.”

Bentley campaigned on that issue of transparency too. Yet, the board he chairs (and John Cooper sits on) thinks it's appropriate to conduct state business "privately" about a public use road project. Trust is gained through open transparency throughout a process and quickly lost by selectively applying transparency at will, Dr. Governor. Why is the cloak of unaccountability being thrown around your appointee Mr. Cooper?

What else is ARTBTA, Governor Bentley and ALDOT not telling us about this project?

And why can't the press get it right on what the actual figure is?

Birmingham News' transportation reporter, "Driving Miss Crazy" Ginny MacDonald, has stated in her online "Live Chat" that ALDOT has "paid out $316,000.00 on the Highway 280 study" as of early summer 2011. Where is she getting her low-balled information? From ALDOT's press chat room?

Ms. MacDonald has cited difficulty in obtaining the figure because of "ALDOT in-house work, private contractors, etc." but assured readers in the "Live Chat" forum she "will get the information" from ALDOT. 

We haven't experienced the degree of difficulty she claims to have encountered. In fact, without much effort, the VAC has a memo (displayed below) to ALDOT's Finance and Audits Department, dated June 8, 2010, requesting payment of a Figg Bridge Engineers invoice in the amount of $1,143,915.00.

That's just ONE invoice--from 16 months ago! And it's a much higher figure than Ms. MacDonald has been parroting to the public through the news media forum on a subject she claims to be knowledgeable about.

This one invoice is more information than has been reported in any news agency in the state on what has been charged to ALDOT --and state taxpayers-- by the company that has been working on the elevated toll road for years!

Transparency anyone?
Figg Eng. Invoice to ALDOT

More on this topic in a subsequent post about Governor Bentley recently repeating the Riley era mantra and asking the feds for sooner-than-agreed-to increases in Alabama's share of offshore oil and gas royalties. Road building and O&G royalties--yes, they are connected.

photo credit: David Johnstone

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Whistling Past the Graveyard of Democracy in Alabama

Who's filling the graveyard of Alabama's citizen's rights? The people or the politicians? Both it seems are content to whistle past the graveyard of a people powered democracy.

The recent issue of recall in Vincent, Alabama should be a lesson to all citizens of this state--if you do not breathe life into your issues and demand a more citizen-based democracy, then you can expect more of your rights to cease to exist. If you don't care, they (the legislators) won't care, and they'll be only too accommodating to allow good citizen-based legislation to suffer their demise of choice 'death in committee.'

Such was the end to a *2009 bill submitted by Representative Treadaway-R, 51st district Jefferson County, HB393 that would have proposed an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama for "all elected state, county and municipal officials to be subject to recall." Numerous editorials and press articles publicized Representative Treadaway's intentions and urged the citizens to contact their legislator's in support of the effort.

*(note that some sponsors of HB393 are still in office and should be challenged to resubmit the bill)  

Each and every one of these members who were on the committee at the time should explain why they would not allow Treadaway's bill to progress to a vote:

2009 Constitution and Election Committee
Chair: James Martin--R  (out of office)
Vice Chair: Tommy Sherer --R  (out of office)
Ranking Minority Member: Jay Love--R
Members:
George Bandy--D
Greg Canfield--R
Randy Davis--R (on present committee)
Chad Fincher--R
James Gordon  (out of office)
Ken Guin  (out of office)
Mickey Hammon--R
Barry Mask--R
Joseph Mitchell--D
Mary Moore--D
John Page--D
Patricia Todd--D

Polls taken by some news outlets showed that Alabamians were well into the 90th percentile in favor of having the right to recall elected officials that they view as derelict in their duties, and/or not representative of the needs of the community as a whole. As it stands, citizens have to grin and bear it until the next election cycle, which allows corrupt officials to do a lot of damage by remaining in office for the next four to six years. Alabama history is replete with numerous examples of this, the lawmakers know it, but they continue with the pat answer of "well, just vote them out."

That's a non-answer and a non-starter in fixing the problem.  A better answer and a real solution is to put the recall referendum back up, let it come out of committee and into the land of the living known as a statewide vote.

The politicians know that it will pass overwhelmingly and they have a vested interest in not allowing a vote by the people. The recently elected politicians are making a lot of noise about the importance of state's rights, are citizen's rights less important? 

They must be made to understand that a vote for them was not a mandate to legislate at will unchecked, and labor under the delusion that a yes vote meant 'I agree with everything you think, so forget what I think when you do something I'm against.' That's got a name too, a dictatorship. That's what Vincent has turned into and that's why recall is on the table.

The overwhelming majority of the citizens do not want a rock quarry, City Hall knows it, and that's why they would not allow a vote by the community on the project. If they could afford $2,500+ for a historical marker and $1,800 for Christmas Tree lights, they could afford a vote. Plus, a business stepped forward and offered to pay for the vote.

Vincent's dictatorial leaders played the same game the Alabama legislature does when it sidesteps recall referendums--avoid accountability at all costs.

Elected officials will promise citizens anything to get elected, no secret there, but they must be held accountable when they go back on those deceptive vote-for-me-I'm-for-you promises.

The "sword of recall" hanging over their heads will help ensure responsible government and accountability. 

Initiative and referendum goes hand in hand with a recall provision, but it can be a complicated concept for most voters to grasp. What's important to know about it is two things:

1. It allows a more "direct democracy" rather than one dictated by special interests.

2. The state of Alabama gets a big fat F in citizen based democracy.

We propose that the "new day in Alabama" be the heralding of a willingness to allow this state to be a people are the source of power state, which by the way, is a section of our constitution. But, you have to demand it Alabama.

One other point we made in our last article on this is the conflicting sections of the law of where recall applies (as written) and who it applies to. There is a glaring inequity of the code because it gives one city and one group of people, Dothan, more rights than the thousands of other cities and millions of additional citizens that reside in the state of Alabama.

In our opinion, you cannot discriminate against the majority of cities and municipalities by only giving one a right you don't give to all of the others. That seems to be not only a very poorly written law, but one that could be easily challenged as unconstitutional and wholly discriminatory. 

Laws must be fair when they're enacted to acknowledge and empower citizen's rights, and the one cited as a basis to dismiss the Vincent recall, is not by any stretch of the imagination a fair law. It's arbitrary and capricious at best and a horribly written law at worst. And one of many, that make up the second longest constitution in the world, that's become a sloth-like behemoth of centralized government void of citizen government.

Every year they are in session on Goat Hill they deliver more slashes to the carcass of citizen-based government because they can. Because the citizens of Alabama let them by not mobilizing themselves and demanding better. Those goats on the hill are not going to do anything unless you, the people, demand that they do it in force and with conviction.

They are in session right now so the time is right now.

So, when you get up tomorrow morning, pour yourself a bowl of yellow jackets and get on the phone and get going! Demand that HB393 be re-introduced and let all of Alabama have the right to hold their elected officials accountable to serve their interests, not simply govern in a serve you up manner.

Because if you don't, as the old saying goes, 'it's your funeral.'

Alabama House of Representatives: (334) 242-7600
Alabama State Senate: (334) 242-7800

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Finally! Recall Proceedings Have Begun Against Vincent Mayor and 4 City Council Members

You don't push some people without one day expecting them to push back.

*Updated Tuesday afternoon see below

It's been a long time coming, but finally, Vincent, Alabama residents opposed to the massive rock quarry that was been railroaded through approval by a non-responsive and corrupt city government, have challenged the Mayor and four council member's jobs with a recall petition.

Vincent Mayor Ray McAllister, City Council members Bridgette Jordan-Smith, Johnny Edwards, Mary Lee Reynolds and Larry King are all targets of the petitioners. The one lone dissenter, Ralph Kimble, did not sign the petition.

It could not happen to a more deserving group of turncoats in our opinion.

Expect BARD bullies Stephen Bradley and Rob Fowler to run to the protection of the city leadership, in addition to a hurry up by ADEM to issue a permit. Wonder if they'll try to pull a trick and skirt the public meeting requirement before permit issuance?

While we're on this subject, let's have a look at the idiot in charge of Vincent and his outlandish claims of what an almost 1000 acre quarry will and won't do. 

(video link, takes time, abt. 3 minutes, to load after commercial, be patient, it's worth it) 

Here's a translation transcript sent to us by a reader that is spot on, and written in southern colloquialism befitting the geniuses that run Vincent who fancy themselves so educated:

"Fact:  Vincent has the largest live decorated Christmas Tree in the state of Alabama."   "Now - back in July - after a year of investigating...we voted to re-district some property   and they have made a lot of commitments to the town of Vincent - they are putting in the most modern equipment....... they say ZERO dust....folks don't like dust."  
 
"I went to see a little quarry... and I say --- how purty the water was going over a little water fall.... the man say --'I work here at this here quarry and git you a jar and git you some water and it's gonna be bettah than what you got in your city water....... the good news is we gonna git 125 jobs....not that 125 jobs is a lot of jobs."  

"That paper place is closing....we be right across the riber from dat. People gonna spend their money locally."  
(How many Vincent residents worked for dat Bowater place? We tol’ the folks these heah jobs was going to be Vincent jobs for Vincent folks…maybe we lie a lil’ here and there.)

"400K from ADECA - to pave the #1 worst road in the state of Alabama..."   

Ol’ Spencer Boy Bachus got them a grant for a fire truck and let dem quarry folks off da hook for the $350,000 they promised to give Vincent for da' truck- thank God for Homeland Security and FEMA.  (You know they get so little done right).   

The Mayor claims "Vincent is beautiful, we got us some parks…" 
(he really did mention Gorman Park - who ever wrote this speech might should have warned him about the discarded condoms lying around.)   

Maybe some of dem folks at da Chamber meetin' will go on down to Gorman Park and see for demselves, after all the Mayor put an invite right out there didn‘t he?   

Good for you citizens of Vincent!

*Update-- The never-friendly-to-citizens Alabama League of Municipalities (ALOM) is claiming that the residents cannot use recall based on this section of Alabama Code. Note the section applies to Commissioners only, and according to the LOM, only in one city in Alabama is there a provision (thanks to the Aladumba legislature) that provides the right to recall-- Dothan. 
(So the rest of you are out of luck. How stupid is this?)

The Vincent residents used this section of Alabama Code. 

Which clearly covers recall of at least the Mayor (and any Commissioner according to this section.) 

So which is it? 

Is the ALOM citing the code section that serves their purposes and is on the side of denying the people of Vincent, or any other municipality for that matter, the right to recall their elected officials everywhere but the City of Dothan, Alabama? 

Just whom do you really serve ALOM? Never mind. We know the answer.


If ALOM is correct, then it is one of the most poorly written laws imaginable, and no community in Alabama is afforded the right to recall their elected officials.
Even our state constitution speaks to the right of the people and their government:
"People are the source of power"

This should be the test case for every Alabama community to be afforded clear and concise remedy to bad government in the form of recall when the citizens demand it. 

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Stories That Have Us Scratching Our Heads and Wondering WTH?

"I think I am seeing the monkey business going on, yes?"" 

Hope Coal Co. was recently fined  $50,000 (further reduced by $16,500) for 174 environmental violations by the Alabama Department of Environmental (mis) Management (ADEM.) That’s roughly $190.00 per violation and the company paid less in corporate fines than an individual would pay for a speeding ticket. The price of doing business in Alabama comes cheap when you screw up. And screwing up is definitely encouraged.

The bastion of (almost) exclusively white brotherly love, the City of Vestavia Hills, is caught showing their religious intolerance and unabashed snobbishness when the faith-based Jimmie Hale Missions tried to become the latest new tenant in the city. Their full of the love of Christ attitude is quite pious as long as "undesirables" stay on their side of town and don’t mingle with the privileged ones in the occupied territory of VH. 
(MP3 file podcast local talker Matt Murphy on WAPI. More podcasts on their webpage)

One Shelby County Preacher makes his case for what Alabama really needs: God, not real ethics reforms. Never mind that we’re 49th in corruption and the state house is brimming over with “good, upright Christian men,” we just need to all get closer to God and the rest will take care of itself. 
We wonder if this Vincent preacher counseled Vincent Mayor Ray McAllister against any private meetings with the town citizens who don’t want their town swallowed up by the notorious Vecellio Group's White Rock Quarries, their mining subsidiary from Florida. The Mayor and Council had meetings a plenty in another county out of sight of their citizens with quarry reps Rob Fowler and Stephen Bradley. Something we've always wondered about is why a Florida rock mining outfit, instead of Martin Marietta or Vulcan, who operate all the other eight quarries in Shelby County? Controversial location for a company well-versed in controversy perhaps?  
Makes sense to us--does it to you?

Governor Mule Bentley (AKA "Dunkey" a cross between a dunce and donkey) shows his true colors to the republican faithful and appoints his "goobernatorial" democratic challenger to head the Alabama Economic Rural Development office, and frankly, we’re shocked they’re shocked. A YouTube clip from Sean Hannity’s FOX show has guest Dick Morris (former Clinton man turned republican shill) pinning the tail on the "Dunkey" on what the good "Badtist" Dr. Dr. really is. Caveat Emptor. We sure do hope Sparks doesn't do for any other rural Alabama community what he did to North Alabama as Ag Commissioner. That would be a real stinker of a move.

Speaking of Bentley, he’s carrying on Riley era economic deals and has announced the entry of a biofuels plant into the Greene County area, the same county that former Governor Riley sent over one hundred state troopers into and immediately put scores of residents out of work and out of luck when he closed down the gambling joint. The biofuels plant, *Coskata, is brainchild of billionaire financier Vinod Khosla, who partnered up with bailout baby GM in 2008. 
The most obvious question to us is this: Why would an enterprising successful entrepreneur partner with a CEO who oversaw the largest corporation in the world to within a hairs width of bankruptcy? GM invested an “undisclosed amount of money” into Coskata in 2008 and then received millions in TARP money the following year. Looks like we paid twice, all of us. Cellulosic Ethanol plants require large swaths of land and maybe an over hyped bio-engineered crop or two, which Monsanto is poised to be an integral part of. 
The word "sustainable" is being thrown about and AlterNet asks if corporations have hijacked "sustainable." The answer is yes, and they are redefining the word to their advantage, hoping the rest of us don't notice. We do.
A sure bet on this is that certain Alabama business men, select politicians and lobbyists will get rich off of this deal whether it pans out or not. The USDA has cleared a $250 million dollar loan for the project that's been in the works for two years. More federal handouts will go to "farmers" who agree to grow crops for biomass use. We're really concerned that the normally environmentally conscientious dems are on board with this. Expect construction to be drawn out through Bentley's term to help him save face on his campaign promises of jobs, jobs, jobs.

On a national level, why did the Obama administration hold over the controversial former EPA head Carole Browner for so long before finally showing her the door?

And finally, how to rack up 557 violations and still be in business. Amazingly, it isn’t an Alabama coal company, it's Massey Energy, who else?

*Coskata is privately held, and to date has been funded entirely by its equity investors, including Khosla Ventures, Blackstone Cleantech Ventures and the Blackstone Group, Advanced Technology Ventures, GreatPoint Ventures, Total Energy Ventures International (part of Total, one of the world’s major Oil and Gas groups, and a top tier player in chemicals), Coghill Capital Management, General Motors, and Globespan Capital Partners.

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Maple Hill, NC Says "No" to Martin Marietta 1,800 Acre Quarry

Unlike Shelby County, Alabama and the Town of Vincent who are willing to sell out to rock miners at every turn and who see no harm in losing productive farmland, this community had enough chutzpah to say "no" to an 1,800 acre quarry. Bravo!


Decision Made in Rock Quarry
JD News, Jacksonville, NC
By: Lindel Kay
Harris Creek Road resident Wade Brown said Wednesday he was glad to see Martin Marietta didn’t hit pay dirt in Maple Hill.

The Onslow County Zoning Board of Adjustment voted down a special-use permit request by the national mining company to build a 1,800-acre rock quarry off N.C. 50.

Martin Marietta argued the limestone mine would present no health risks and would not bother neighbors. Many of those neighbors, about 100 people in all, attended Tuesday’s meeting with several of them telling the board they didn’t want the quarry in their proverbial backyard.

Brown said he had lived his entire life in the Maple Hill area.

“Martin Marietta cannot buy my happiness with money,” he said. “I built this house with these hands.”

Heidi Cronin, a 30-year real estate agent who lives in the area, said she believed the quarry would have had a negative impact on her property values. She said the rock quarry would have meant buyers wouldn’t purchase property in the area.

Board member Alex Wood said he felt strongly that the real estate evidence presented by Martin Marietta’s experts was fabricated to the extent it did not include information on foreclosures or buyouts of properties surrounding other Martin Marietta quarries. He also felt their studies purposely ignored land closest to roads where mining activity was obvious for property on the peripheral of the operations.

Legrand Lanier, owner of a 220-acre hog farm with a clay-lined lagoon that cost $1 million to build in 1992 and is under moratorium now, said his farm was 200 feet from the proposed mine.“I’ve been neutral,” he said. “I haven’t attended any of the meetings.”

But he opposed the mine because lagoons are fragile and he was concerned about any possible sinkholes that might cause a waste spill. He said he was also concerned about how the noise from heavy blasting would affect his animals.

“I send 2,000 pigs a week to other farms in Duplin and Sampson counties,” he said, adding that his farm branches off to six nurseries which each branch off again.

In order to receive the permit, Martin Marietta had to prove to the board that the quarry would not endanger public health, would meet required specifications, would not injure property values and would be in harmony with the surrounding area.

The Board voted that Martin Marietta met the first two requirements, but failed to meet the last two conditions. The company has 30 days to file a court appeal.

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Smilin' Bob Riley and The Partnership of Shelby County, Alabama

Can someone please name another county in Alabama that Governor Riley has such a keen interest in that matches his interest in Shelby County, Alabama? If there is another county website with a picture like the one below from The Partnership of Shelby County, Alabama, what would they hope to convey with this type of image that seems better suited to a personal photo album than it does as the web presence of an economic Shelby County Chamber of Commerce committee? Does it mean to say come to Shelby County and climb aboard the Riley express to whatever you want?

Photo from homepage of shelbycountypartnership.org October 20, 2010. Pictured are: Heather Ruth Stripling, Jennifer Trammell and Lindsay Humphries with Bingo Bob.

Why is Governor Riley "tickling the ribs" of these women?

Additional information from The Partnership website;

Strategic Business Development

Mission: To promote the creation, expansion, and preservation of Shelby County businesses of all types and sizes through education, access to information and contacts, as well as assisting public and private efforts to improve the business climate in Shelby County while maintaining the quality of life Shelby County residents have come to expect.

We have written extensively on the environmental problems in Shelby County resulting from industrial development and business and residential developments. The EPA audit for the county outlines their extensive problems and has earned them a noncompliance notice for their stormwater management program (SWMP). In addition to citing the non-existent industrial inspections by the county that are having a detrimental impact on the county's environment. So, the question we have is what's their definition of "maintaining the quality of life" and what have they heard from their citizens about what "Shelby County residents have come to expect" in that regard?

If the residents were fully informed of what is really going on in the county and their environment we don't think they would be happy with the county's actions and the glaring lack of good stewardship in maintaining a healthy environment for its residents. Clearly, the county is more concerned with economic development at the cost of the environment. The EPA 2009 audit and CWA violations of some of the residential developments (linked in the R sidebar of this site) in the county illustrate that point with compelling documentations.

We took note of a tweet on Ms. Trammell's twitter page:

Shelby County Reporter | Vincent Town Council approves White Rock quarry request http://ping.fm/Zoctx 6:10 AM Jul 16th via Ping.fm

It's so nice to know that this was maybe her first tweet of the morning to alert her "tweetettes" about what the majority of the residents of Vincent, Alabama do not want--White Rock Quarries 886 acre Vincent Hills monstrosity. Maybe she ought to come and buy one of the houses that WRQ scared the longtime Carlisle Road residents out of and experience the same joy that Vincent's minority residents will have to endure by living next to this huge quarry. 

This tweet appeared in-between various bible verses. What was that *story about "love your neighbor as yourself?" Vincent residents aren't feeling any love from Shelby County Ms. Trammell we can assure you of that. What they're feeling is bowled over by Columbiana.
*(Parable of the Good Samaritan) 

More from The Partnership site;

About Us/Contact:

It is the vision of The Partnership to create a unified voice for developing the human, physical and financial capital to support the current and future economic vitality in the greater Shelby County region.

What is meant by the term human capital and how is that quantified? Is that a dressed up term for workers, similar to garbage men being described as sanitation directors?

Let's have some more fun with photos from the 2009 Partnership launch:

Jennifer Trammell in one of her more "professional" moments. Who was the bonehead who thought this photo portrayed anything business-like? It almost seems to say: "I told you I would get the Governor here, are my blood red, painted just for Riley nails in the shot too?"

C'mon Jen you know how much we like to play paper dolls together...

The absurdity is great comic relief and it just shows you what pillars of intellect and the razor sharp judgment these egotistical hand baskets possess that we have running this county. And as much cheekiness as we are applying to these images, we are not claiming there is any type of physical relationship going on between the Governor and Ms. Tranmmell, we're just having a bit of fictional fun with them.

We are going to close this with a question that is serious and deserving of not only of a good answer, but it also deserves some further investigation: Why does the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce employ Dr. Robert Wayne Nichols as a lobbyist for the SCC? (page #23) He's got one hell of a pedigree that's for certain.

Heavy hitters like this don't come cheap to a county that is claiming they have slashed their budget "to the bone" and cannot "afford pay raises." Between what the county jail spends for Pine Sol and what they are paying this fellow it starts to make sense why they claim those two "hardships" which affect everyday, hard working, average Shelby County workers, but not polished older gentlemen with cute little dogs.
(We'll agree with what you say on your Facebook page Doc, because we also pray everyday for "the strength to not slap an idiot" ourselves.)

Dr. Echols and dawg wishin' everybody a Roll Tide Christmas y'all! (Love the pom pom too)

The following municipalities and cities do not have COC lobbyists according to the 2010 Alabama Ethics Board registered lobbyist list: Montgomery County, Baldwin County, Jefferson County, City of Mountain Brook and the City of Vestavia Hills.

Shelby County is considered heavily politically connected, the pictures above prove some of that and what are the legislators and elected state representative for the county not able to accomplish in their own state house that an expensive, well-heeled lobbyist can? How much is it costing the county to employ Dr. Echols and what do they get for their money?

Why does the Shelby County COC require a lobbyist while there are none in the above communities listed where you might expect to find someone to represent their economic interests to the legislature?

It's a simple and valid question and probably, in truth and secrecy, one that has a complicated answer that we won't ever really know.

 

Shelby County Commission and Ethics--One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

(Originally published October 1, 2010)
Once again the Birmingham News proves our point about its bias in heralding the Shelby County Commission as a bastion of ethics in a recent article about their projected $82 million fiscal 2011 budget. We've written quite a few articles about Shelby County and any regular reader of this site should be well acquainted with the pervasive corruption and lack of ethics that seems to thrive in Columbiana.

From their socialistic, property devaluing and controlling Comprehensive Plan to the recent news of Shelby County not wanting federal scrutiny of their election process, one doesn't have to work too hard to see there are big problems in one of Alabama's largest, whitest, mainly republican and most powerful counties in Alabama.
("A Path to the Future" Shelby County Comprehensive Plan)


We'll certainly refer back to the 2009 EPA federal audit of Shelby County's Stormwater Management Program [SWMP] and its damning lack of inspections, improper permitting, lax or non-existent oversight of commercial and residential developments, removal of heavy industrial site inspections (167 currently in the county per the EPA document 2008 numbers), *scant amount of "inspectors" and the woefully inadequate funding to the SWMP  to carry out even the most basic of duties they should be doing.
*(Note--when we had someone call about the audit EPA Region 4 was not happy the document was "out there." They said it was "leaked" and "not supposed to have been released.")
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County Manager Alex Dudchock (aka Comrade Dudchock) spins the less than glowing audit as simply the EPA asking them "to improve in some areas" which is far from anything resembling the actual findings in the 34 page audit;

Shelby County was also recently audited by the EPA for their storm water management program.

"Well when they came in they had a variety of things that they found as areas that they want us to improve. Yes it's going to cost us more money, not dramatically," said Dudchock.

"Now I don't know if the EPA is going to force us into something that forces us into something on down the road that we have to do that, but right now we're planning on paying for it out of our own pockets from existing revenue rather than jumping into another assessment. But there's more to be said on that," said Dudchock.

"We have not had our permit issued yet we answered to EPA. We had a very good meeting with them. They said they like what we are doing and what we plan on doing."

"We're going from 5 sampling sites to 20 so you can imagine our internal costs. They went up 37% from last year to this year."

Listen closely to the claims of "budget management and cuts" by the fashionably blonde Ms. Allison and Dudchock who appears as the well-fed man in the tan blazer, white shirt and no tie.



Let's take a look at how "efficient" the county has been with its SWMP and what they have spending on this  courtesy of Mr. Stephen Bradley's mouth moving before his brain engages propaganda when he referred to Shelby County as a "model of cost efficiency" regarding their SWMP;
(As Rachel Maddow said in the report on Haley Barbour, "We can fact check these things.")

Consider this: Shelby County performs all necessary functions to comply with clean water laws for all of unincorporated Shelby County, as well as Alabaster, Pelham, Helena, Moody and Indian Springs, *with a staff of two parttime employees and an average annual budget of $45,000. 

Source: Bham News Editorial, page 2-B Vol 119 August 20, 2006 "Storm-water Group Misuses Law " by Stephen Bradley, president of Bradley & Associates and representative of BARD

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This sourced article was during the time that BARD was muscling Jefferson County, Alabama to pull out of its SWMP because they were "doing too much and it was not cost effective." We know how that turned out because the EPA just recently slammed JeffCo for their SWMP and they're in the deep end of the BARD swamp and facing a possible million dollar expenditure because of it.

Yep, we can fact check these things and we do.

$82 million in revenues expected and all Shelby County can spend on their SWMP is $45,000.00? These might be important facts to know, but nothing from the Birmingham News will ever tell you that.

In a Shelby County document the county claims:

"Shelby County shall promote proper management of environmental resources to accommodate growth while preserving and enhancing the economic, ecological and scenic, and recreational values associated with the natural environment" 

Just because you say it that does not make it so and with a county that has such a large number of industrial sites along with five active quarries (soon to be seven with Vincent and the *still being pushed Montevallo proposed quarry that Sen. Bachus and the republican machine were against the first time around) in addition to the large number of ADEM files (yes, we have them) on repeated violations of the Clean Air Act [CAA] and the Clean Water Act [CWA] the county engages in double speak every chance they get. And they sure do a great job of making it sound lovely until you notice the cracks in the wall of propaganda in sentences such as "It is noted that ADEM assumes a low-profile, non-aggressive posture when enforcing state and federal regulations."
* (Note--A Vincent resident informs us that Ms. Goddard stated that "it's not over yet" when she was asked about the Montevallo quarry in a public place.)

From the document:  A strategy to ensure environmental quality and a higher quality of life in Shelby County was developed along with the above goal. 

The components of this strategy are common to most or all of the issue area discussions that follow. This strategy consists of: 1) ensuring quality development practices are followed; 2) be proactive and effective in enforcement efforts; 3) provide infrastructure that adequately protects the environment; and 4) support community organizations seeking to improve environmental quality.

§ 10.2.1 General Concerns
(1) Pro-environment public attitude. The Environment and Conservation Committee found a definite strength in that the residents of Shelby County generally have a pro-environment attitude. A General Opinion Survey supports this finding. When asked specifically about the Cahaba River or Lake Purdy, respondents strongly agreed that it was very important to protect these areas. However, when asked if drainage and erosion were problems, most respondents had no opinion or did not think it was a problem. This response was surprising since drainage and erosion directly impact the Cahaba River and Lake Purdy. From the large number of "no opinion" responses, it seems likely that most respondents were not sure whether a problem exists but have some concern that a problem could evolve. Most respondents also felt that development should be guided away from steep slopes, wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas.
*(Note--The people don't know what is not reported on. The Vincent quarry is to be built in an area with three wetlands and within one mile of the threatened Coosa River and will discharge to that river. Did we mention the area is primarily minority?)

(2) Environmentally sensitive developers. Generally, developers of the larger developments in Shelby County are considered environmentally sensitive when developing property. It is perceived that this sensitivity is due to market pressures as well as genuine concern for the environment.
*(Note--See the R sidebar section "EPA Formal Actions Shelby County, Alabama" "Perceived" by whom exactly?) 

(3) Lack of enforcement authority. The Environment and Conservation Committee acknowledges that the enforcement of such regulations is the responsibility of other agencies although but feels that the county could exert influence in these areas with better communication and education.
*(Note--EPA told the county they could not rely on ADEM alone and the county had no justification for removing it's heavy industry inspections, but they already knew ADEM was lax and enforcement was not happening. If we make them follow the EXISTING LAWS they may get "upset" and move--there goes the money.) 

(4) Lack of state enforcement. The lack of personnel and money to enforce existing laws by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) is a weakness in the system. It is noted that ADEM assumes a low-profile, non-aggressive posture when enforcing state and federal regulations.

(5) Lack of local enforcement. The lack of authority and resources to enforce regulations was also perceived to be a problem on a local government level. Those agencies charged with enforcing environmental regulations in the county possess no clear understanding of their role in relation to other agencies or have no legislative mandate to do so. The resulting confusion often results in NO ACTION BEING TAKEN.
*(Note--But the county can add the "Home Rule" Amendment to Alabama's Constitution and make sure the county isn't liable for anything that may result from an "environmentally (read: economic) proactive" decision.) 

§ 10.2.3 Prime Farmland Concerns
(1) Economic Loss. The potential economic loss from the conversion of prime farmland to non-agricultural use could represent the decline of a sector in the local economy. Losing a productive farm can be likened to losing an industry. And, with the loss of prime farmland, farming interests will be more likely to move to other prime sites outside the county rather than move to other marginal sites within the county. Since the value of agricultural products sold in Shelby County accounts for one-tenth of one percent ($3 million) of the total volume of business in the county, the loss of farm income would be minor. 
*(Note--Read: Get off that limestone laden farmland that's been in your family for generations hayseed and go ahead and move to another county because you don't fit "the ideal" of this one anyway. Besides we weren't making enough money off of you.)

(2) Preservation of Rural Lifestyle. The importance of maintaining existing farms and protecting land that is most suitable for farming affects some characteristics of the rural lifestyle. The rural lifestyle and the perception it lends to the quality of life in Shelby County was found to be an important factor in the general attractiveness of the county.
*(Note--If you're Wilsonville (home of Alabama Power's EC Gaston plant) then this applies to you with the recent Mayberry-style plan (A Place to Call Home) Goddard & Co. (Shelby County Planning Commission) dreamed up for this mostly white area. Vincent, forget it, you're just a bunch of poor, uneducated people anyway.)

Sections 1 and 2 are contradictory on their face and would have to be "selectively enforced" which the Comprehensive Plan allows the county to do. If the county really wanted farms and the "preservation of a rural lifestyle" they would attract green business not unsightly cement factories, limestone quarries, lime production facilities and other visual and physical pollutants and polluters.

None of which promote the "attractiveness" of any county which most rational people would agree with.

And who is on this Environment and Conservation Committee? Who's ever heard of them and does it still exist? Are its members of similar backgrounds as the appointment of Joe Howle (manager of environmental services for Vulcan Materials) to the Alabama Water Resources Commission by Governor Riley? Were there no other qualified individuals than an "industry insider" who may be able to influence policy available?

What process did the county employ to form this committee? They've done a very poor job being good stewards of the county at the very least and at worst it's nothing more than a perfunctory figurehead committee with no real functions and goals.

This speaks for itself and requires no further explanation from us, except maybe this item and maybe this one too. And let's not forget the telling words from Doug Smedley about the Calera lawsuit:

The Alabama Attorney General's Office, along with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, filed a water pollution lawsuit against the city of Calera June 10, 2008.

The lawsuit states that the city's wastewater treatment plant violated its permit by discharging polluted water into Camp Branch, which is a tributary of the Coosa River.

Calera Sewer Operations Director Doug Smedley said that in July 2007, treatment plant workers discovered oil flowing into the plant.

"The oil, estimated at approximately 10,000 gallons, was waste from the Alabama Power Company." Smedley said. 

*(Note--that's the same entity of our previous posts that is very problematic)

“Hopefully, we will improve the system for three or four years, and then when we have to renew with ADEM after that, they will say we can stop where we are,” Smedley added. “I’ve seen that happen numerous times before.”

That was not the first time the Calera plant had come under fire for polluting--they have been creating problems for years. Mr. Smedley's words were in response to a six year time period "imposed" by ADEM. The county certainly does sound environmentally sensitive and "proactive" doesn't it?

We might also add the hiring of the Chair of the Shelby County Commission Lindsey Allison (a family law attorney) as additional counsel for White Rock Quarries Vincent Hills project. Did you know that quarries require family law attorneys? Neither did we. They may, however, require someone in a powerful position to assist them in ramrodding the unwanted and ill-advised invasive project into the small and unsophisticated Town of Vincent.

The project will result in a huge financial gain to the county more so than the community of Vincent who will bear all the liability thanks to Shelby County's Home Rule Amendment to the Alabama Constitution which reads in part:
"The legislature has a right to waive or limit the county's liability by law"

Ms. Allison predictably defends this unsavory, unethical and questionable "hiring" and apparently does not enjoy being questioned about it:

In a related matter, a group opposing the quarry said it plans to ask County Commission Chairwoman Lindsey Allison to recuse herself from participating in any matter involving the quarry that comes before the commission.  

Allison has been hired by White Rock Quarries to represent the company in a lawsuit filed by a Vincent resident who's challenging procedures the town's planning commission used in recommending that White Rock's rezoning request be approved by the council.  

''At this time, there is no current issue before the Shelby County Commission that requires me to vote or make any discretionary decision,'' Allison said. ''Why are we asking the question?''  

Should that time come, Allison said she would take appropriate steps.

''I have a history of making sure I'm not in conflict on any issue that comes before the commission,'' Allison said. ''I'll conduct myself accordingly.'' 

Source: Bham News, Community News page 1-SC Vol 123 June 2, 2010 "Quarry Trucks Irks Some Residents" by Malcolm Daniel staff writer

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Mr. Daniel did good with this story and asked the hard questions, but we can't say that for all of his coverage regarding the Vincent Hills quarry. Far too many times he seemed uninterested and/or unable to delve deep into the surrounding issues and ask the tough questions on the project and who was involved in it. Citizens tell us that he spent more time in the Vincent offices of White Rock Quarries and Town Hall than he did with the citizens who opposed the project by a margin of 3-1 according to the figures provided to us.

More than a few citizens recounted to us that he was asked to probe the claims of "job fairs" by White Rock spokesperson Kathy Copeland along with the large number of out of town residents she was instrumental in enlisting to come to Vincent to inflate support for the quarry. Which presented a skewed picture of support largely due to non-residents being promised a job and dinner if they "would show up in Vincent and wear a t-shirt and hat" that displayed "Yes, for Vincent Hills."
*(Note--We have more than a few individuals accounts that it was Ms. Copeland who directed this and these interlopers were contacted by robo calls.)

When Mr. Daniel was told this information his repeated response was "They want a job, don't they have a right to come looking for a job?" Yes, Mr. Daniel they do, but this is not a job fair, the project is still being considered and has not even been approved yet. This is a City Council meeting (or one of the few public meetings) where citizens of Vincent get to address their elected officials (no discourse is allowed and they will not respond in any way) who will not meet with any citizen outside these forums (who opposes the quarry and requests a one-on-one meeting with their elected officials) and voice their support or opposition in strictly timed five-minute allotments.

Logical and factual explanation that absolutely deserved more probative reporting, but Mr. Daniel seemed to laugh it off dismissively and repeated his same nonsensical statement again. His stories were one-sided in feel and somewhat of a just the selective minimum facts presentation

And now we have this glowing article of Shelby County's high ground ethics by Mr. Daniel and the Birmingham News to cause our digestive systems upset. It just proves our point that the News has a clear agenda and we would be willing to wager that a certain PR man may have influenced this article. So, the county proves it can be a real money machine--what does that have to do with ethics?

If we can fact check information, connect the dots and present the other side of the story with previously published information and some diligent research then why can't the Birmingham News do the same?

What's more important to the public at large--a deadline and a steady paycheck by a small number of certain news writers or an accurate story to a much large number of citizens whose lives may be affected by important issues and who absolutely deserve to know the "rest of the story"?

We know the answer to that one.

Shelby County, Alabama, the Birmingham News and ethics--two of these things are definitely not like the other.