No Donald Trump didn’t make you do it: We need more personal responsibility and civility
I’m a mom. It’s a fact that pretty much defines who I am, especially these days. I’ve been teaching my five year old to take responsibility. She’ll sometimes do something and then she’ll say “well I took the candy because you wouldn’t let me have it.” Or “I took the toy away from my baby brother because he had it too long.” I always gently step in and say “sweetie, nobody else is responsible for your behavior. You didn’t take the candy because I didn’t allow you to have it. You took it because you wanted it. You knew it was against the rules.” Or “You didn’t take the toys away from your baby brother because he had it too long, you took it because you wanted it. This is you acting on your feelings, regardless of the rules or other people’s feelings.” I may take a while for her to learn the lesson, but what I’ve learned over the course of this past year is that there are lots of adults out there who were never taught this lesson: our reactions to others aren’t justified by their behavior. This past week a video of a man went viral. The man causing the stir, Timothy Trybus was later arrested and saw the charges he faced upgraded to felonies for hate crimes. It all stemmed from an angry tirade directed at a woman wearing a shirt with the Puerto Rico flag on it. I wouldn’t have clicked the link except the post I saw that shared it included a message that said something along the lines of “This is what electing President Donald Trump has gotten us.” I expected to see a man who was quoting Trump or expressly advocating for Trump but no I just saw someone behaving like a jerk. I saw an il-informed, bigot clearly breaking the law by harassing a woman for no reason other than he chose to behave like he had a right to disrupt her day and bully her. He didn’t. The cop, Patrick Connor from Forest Preserves of Cook County that stood by and did nothing shouldn’t have been allowed to resign. He should have been fired. All of that to say, the man and the cop were responsible for their actions (or inactions as it were). No one else. We cannot justify or blame the behavior of jerks on the right or left on Trump and the way he tweets or the way he speaks. This guys behavior isn’t due to some cosmic shift in cultural standards that came with a Trump presidency. There were ignorant and mean people before Trump and there will be plenty after him. I’m tired of hearing that our president or the Republican Party is to blame for the actions of others. That by electing Trump this is what we should expect this behavior to be a norm. It’s just not true. Rep. Maxine Waters who called for people to not only be disruptive and rude, but to be violent toward those in the Administration is solely responsible for her words and actions. We can’t blame the incivility of the people at the movie theatre with Pam Bondi, or the restaurants with either the Department Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen or White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as something that should be socially acceptable because of the times. No, the individuals behaving badly need to take responsibility. You’re acting like a jerk or a bully. It’s you who made a conscious decision to behave that way. That’s not because Trump behaves or Tweets one way or another. It’s not because Trump was elected. There is no excuse. I have been thinking about Rep. Maxine Waters and all of the Members of Congress who have left Congress over the past few year. Some were over-spending money, some were using drugs, others for breaking the law. I feel like there will always be a Rep. Maxine Waters in Congress, heck she’s been there for 18 years already. Or an Alan Grayson type of bomb-thrower, is what they call him. We have them on both sides of the aisle. But we can’t allow the least-behaving, the lowest common denominator set the standard for our levels of civility. Yes, Trump frequently speaks or tweets in a way that I would never allow my children to, but he’s a grown man and his behavior speaks only to him and his character. It doesn’t even speak for those who work for him contrary to what some believe. Those who use his bad actions as an excuse for their own bad actions are making a false argument. Those people need to come back to reality and realize our standards must be higher for ourselves and those around us. I hope Congress censures Maxine Waters. I hope the guy in the video faces appropriate consequences. That’s how we stop and prevent future behavior like this. While we have First Amendment rights, there are certain expectations and standards and even laws that prevent the views and actions of disruptive people from harming those around them. Enough with the excuses, let’s just take responsibility and expect better from one another and those around us.
Donald Trump stands by ‘culture’ criticism of European immigration
President Donald Trump pressed ahead Friday with his complaints that European immigration policies are changing the “fabric of Europe” and destroying European culture. During a news conference with British Prime Minster Theresa May, Trump backtracked on the criticism of May that he made in an explosive interview released as he began his visit to the country. But he reiterated his belief that Europe’s decision to accept migrants from Middle Eastern and African countries is “a very negative thing for Europe.” Standing next to May at Chequers, the prime minister’s official country estate, Trump acknowledged that his remarks were “politically not necessarily correct.” But he said European countries need to “watch themselves.” “You are changing culture, you are changing a lot of things,” he said, adding, “You see the same terror attacks that I do.” Trump was reiterating a position he articulated in an interview released Thursday by The Sun, in which he also criticized May’s handling of Brexit negotiations and said “I think allowing millions and millions of people to come into Europe is very, very sad.” May quickly rebutted Trump during their joint appearance, saying the U.K. has a “proud history of welcoming people who are fleeing persecution to our country.” “Over the years, overall immigration has been good for the U.K.,” she added. “It’s brought people with different backgrounds, different outlooks here to the U.K. and we’ve seen them contributing to our society and our economy.” Critics have faulted the president for using language that echoes white supremacist laments about the loss of white power. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., born in the Dominican Republic, said Trump was “trying to throw gasoline on fire and begin a culture war, and it’s unfortunate that he’s divisive in the United States and he’s divisive in Europe as well.” “We all tout our nation as being a nation of immigrants,” Espaillat said. “For him to characterize that as something negative that we should avoid is sort of going against the most important and fundamental tenets of our country.” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., born in Taipei, Taiwan, said American culture is constantly changing through immigration. “That’s what makes our country amazing and great,” Lieu said. “It is a continual renewal of our American ideals set forth in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence with every new successive generation.” Trump said he believes that the U.K.’s Brexit vote in 2016 was in part a response to lax European immigration laws, and he has frequently tried to use Europe as a cautionary tale for the U.S., where he is seeking to implement more hawkish migration policies. Trump has used tough rhetoric on immigration to motivate his political base at home, at times using racial or ethnic undertones. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he drew global condemnation for a call to ban Muslim immigration to the U.S. Since entering the White House, he has enacted travel restrictions for citizens from some Muslim-majority countries, curtailed refugee admissions to the U.S. and called for “extreme vetting” of those entering the U.S. He drew fire from Democrats earlier this year for describing MS-13 gang members, many of them immigrants to the U.S., as “animals.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
My runoff picks are easy: I’m voting for decency and truth
Here we are again — it’s crazy time in the runoff elections. We are seeing a lot of shenanigans on the Republican side of the ticket from each of the major races and candidates. I have yet, in the three years that I’ve run this website, to do public personal endorsements. I have debated whether or not I was going to post my thoughts this time around, but given the mean spiritedness of the cycle I have decided I would share with you my perspective and point of view on some of the hottest races. Without further adieu, in the race for Agriculture Commissioner, I’m absolutely infuriated by the fact any candidate would make light of domestic violence and use it try and get ahead in a race. No matter how close a race gets there’s no excuse for that… Gerald Dial there’s no way you’re getting my vote after the stunt you’ve just pulled. Divorces have a way of bringing out the worst in some people and according to Rick Pate’s ex-wife her allegations against her husband were not true. Everyone who knows Rick Pate has decried the decades old claims against him. I understand the value of opposition research as much as anyone in this process and I know that getting the truth out would be important should these allegations have any truth to them but they don’t and it’s just wrong to use them as a weapon. I’ve never given as much consideration to under-voting as I have in the race for Attorney General. I felt strongly going into the runoff that I would be voting for Troy King based on his record and experience. Steve Marshall is a Democrat he can deny it all he wants but King’s right to point out that Marshall changed parties because he knows a Democrat can’t get elected statewide in Alabama (*under normal circumstances). My biggest gripe with Marshall is that I don’t feel like he has used the opportunity he’s been given by Governor Robert Bentley to step up and step into the role to the best of his abilities. If he claims he has then surely he doesn’t deserve to be elected for a full-term. He’s wielded the power and authority of the office to punt on Ethics Reform, to kow-tow to the people he thought could help him get reelected and while that’s helped him raise money I don’t think it’s impressing voters like me much. On the other hand, Troy could have run a more positive race based on his credentials without beating up on Marshall and his fundraising all the time. Let’s be clear, the majority of voters aren’t going to be swayed by the argument that Marshall’s campaign has gone crazy in terms of campaign finance. I’m tired of hearing about it from King and his campaign. Enough already. I’ve knocked on thousands of doors over the last 15 years or so and I can count on one hand the number of people who would put campaign finance issues at the top of their list of issues. For our attorney general I’m looking for consistent conservative views. I’m looking for proactive consumer protection. I’m looking for justice and fairness. I’m looking for someone who respects the constitution and the second amendment in particular. Troy King’s experience won me over this race and his campaign nearly lost my vote. Then, in the race for the Lt. Governor boy do voters have a tough pick. I think highly of and respect Twinkle Cavanaugh. As a woman, as a conservative, for what she’s done in the PSC (“Right Sizing” the office) and the heat she’s taken in her work there. I think she’s not given enough credit for her efforts. She’s really an all-around great person in my opinion. And yet, I can’t vote for her this election. It was tough with her and Will Ainsworth, going into this knowing both of their records, but at the same time I believe that Will will do better leading the state senate to the right. We need someone with backbone at Lt. Governor, someone who has shown they can and will stand up for what’s right. Will is the reason Bentley didn’t get his tax increases. He’s shown he can lead without alienating and he’s running a positive campaign. Every time I hear Twinkle’s radio ads hitting Will it makes my skin crawl. I know negative ads work in general but they don’t work on voters who know them to be untrue and these ads are just untrue. There’s probably a lot one could say about Will from his time in the House; you don’t hold strong on your principles and not make enemy’s from those who want the status quo to continue. Negative untrue ads and attacks suck. Twinkle knows that, she’s experienced it firsthand. But to say Will’s not conservative because like everyone else, like me even, he questioned President Donald’s Trump’s sincerity and conservatism during the presidential primary that’s absurd! I’m more worried about those who didn’t at some point question Trump’s candidacy. As for his record, it speaks for itself and it’s clear he’s a conservative. Heck, some would say he’s too conservative. So with that in mind, his record, the insanity of the ads Twinkle’s campaign is running against him and the fact she’ll stay in the PSC if she’s not elected I’m voting for Will. We’ve only got a few more days left until the election. Let’s get it over and move on. I’m hoping there’s no more mean crazy underhanded things to come but I won’t hold my breath.
12 Russians accused of hacking Democrats in 2016 U.S. election
Twelve Russian intelligence officers were indicted on charges they hacked into Democratic email accounts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and released stolen information in the months before Americans headed to the polls, the Justice Department said Friday. The indictment — which comes days before President Donald Trump holds a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — was the clearest allegation yet of Russian efforts to meddle in American politics. U.S. intelligence agencies have said the interference was aimed at helping the presidential campaign of Republican Donald Trump and harming the election bid of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. The indictment lays out a sweeping and coordinated effort to break into key Democratic email accounts, including those belonging to the Democratic National Committee, the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The charges come as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence the presidential election. The indictment does not allege that Trump campaign associates were involved in the hacking efforts or that any American was knowingly in contact with Russian intelligence officers. The indictment also does not allege that any vote tallies were altered by hacking. Still, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the internet “allows foreign adversaries to attack Americans in new and unexpected ways. Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious and there will always be adversaries who work to exacerbate domestic differences and try to confuse, divide and conquer us.” Before Friday, 20 people and three companies had been charged in the Mueller investigation. That includes four former Trump campaign and White House aides, three of whom have pleaded guilty to different crimes and agreed to cooperate, as well as 13 Russians accused of participating in a hidden but powerful social media campaign to sway American public opinion in the 2016 election. Hours before the Justice Department announcement, Trump complained anew that the special counsel’s investigation is complicating his efforts to forge a better working relationship with Russia. Trump and Putin are to hold talks Monday in Finland, a meeting largely sought by Trump. Trump said at a news conference Friday near London with British Prime Minister Theresa May that he wasn’t going into the meeting with Putin with “high expectations.” “We do have a — a political problem where — you know in the United States we have this stupidity going on. Pure stupidity,” he said, referring to Mueller’s probe. “But it makes it very hard to do something with Russia. Anything you do, it’s always going to be, ‘Oh, Russia, he loves Russia.’” “I love the United States,” Trump continued. “But I love getting along with Russia and China and other countries.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Panel maps out how Birmingham will become a Smart City
Birmingham’s Innovation Week is a celebration of the disruptive ideas and ventures evolving in the city’s technology community. In line with the city’s growing tech ecosystem are various initiatives to transform Birmingham into a Smart City using data and technology to make it more livable and sustainable. These plans were outlined Tuesday during an Innovation Week session called Think Next: How Birmingham’s Becoming a Smart City. Touching on various initiatives underway that helped the city win a Readiness Challenge Grant from the Smart Cities Council earlier this year, speakers mapped out projects using digital technology to help improve public safety, energy and transportation. Projects in the pipeline include an open data portal, smart street lighting, community Wi-Fi and a bus rapid transit. The City of Birmingham’s crime reduction initiative, Operation Step Up, also is included. Resources from the readiness grant will accelerate the efforts. The session featured a panel of individuals who were instrumental in the Smart Cities Council grant process and who are closely involved in ongoing innovation efforts: Brandon Johnson, City of Birmingham Director of Community Engagement; John Smola, Alabama Power Director of Business Transformation and Administration, and Paula Alvarez Pino, University of Alabama at Birmingham Program Director of Sustainable Smart Cities Research. The conversation was moderated by Mashonda Taylor, chief Community Relations officer for the Woodlawn Foundation. The panel provided updates on these projects, and touched on potential opportunities for further collaboration and expansion in the future. Check out how the grant is accelerating Birmingham’s Smart City efforts on the session’s live stream below. Think Next: How Birmingham is Becoming a Smart City from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Kicking Jim Zeigler out of statehouse backfiring? Be careful what you ask for insiders
In a classic case of be careful what you ask for, State Auditor Jim Zeigler, who was told in April of 2018 that we was being unceremoniously kicked out the State House, “because they needed the space” all of a sudden, has found a new space for his office to reside. Ha! It’s in the same building as Ethics Commission. Just when lawmakers thought they were getting Zeigler out of their hair, one the state’s best loud and vocal advocates for taxpayers is now going to be ever so close to the people responsible for maintaining ethics. Allowing him to lodge complaints without so much as leaving the comfort of his building. Let’s be clear, if you think lawmakers wanted Zeigler out so they could use his space rather than to stop him from showing up at press conferences and watching what they were doing I’ve got a bridge to the beach in Az. to sell you. There are so many people in Montgomery who don’t like Jim’s in-your-face style, but as his recent showing in the GOP primary revealed he is doing just fine in the mind’s of the voters. Rather than aim to silence him we need to encourage more lawmakers to be like him. Zeigler is taking his job as a watchdog seriously. On a regular basis he’s questioning the actions and spending of those around him. Let’s not forget, it was Zeigler who pressed the issue of Governor Robert Bentley‘s ethics violations, he spoke out against a bizarre corrections contract for $300 million to a firm already tied up in ethics and bribery charges in Mississippi, he’s been outspoken in advocating for the prioritization of limited infrastructure and transportation money asking ALDOT and John Cooper questions they clearly don’t want to answer. As noted in his follow up yesterday, after THREE months of waiting as Cooper and his team dodge Alabama’s open records laws. It’s clear the efforts to move him were nothing but a stunt but those wanting to silence him are going to have to try harder.
Judge dismisses Troy King’s lawsuit against Steve Marshall
Attorney General candidate Troy King’s efforts to stop his opponent Steve Marshall’s ability to spend questionable campaign donations fell apart on Thursday when a Montgomery judge, Circuit Judge James Anderson, dismissed a lawsuit King filed against Marshall. It all began Monday, when in an eleventh hour effort kit announced a lawsuit he filed against Marshall — just one week before voters hit the polls to cast their ballots in the primary runoff election on July 17. King alleged that Marshall accepted $700,000 from the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) political action committee and that the group uses money from other PAC’s to fund their own PAC; violating Alabama’s PAC to PAC money laws. King then sued Marshall on Wednesday, attempting to deter Marshall from spending the contributions. “Now, during the 2017 election cycle, according to RAGA’s public filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the RAGA’s PAC has again accepted a number of contributions from other PACs, including, earlier this year, nearly $16,000 from the J.P. Morgan PAC plus another $50,000 in PAC contributions in the last quarter of 2017. RAGA’s PAC has now, during the election cycle, made hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions to Steve Marshall for Alabama, Inc,” said King’s lawsuit, according to WHNT. But Thursday afternoon a Montgomery judge, Circuit Judge James Anderson, dismissed the lawsuit, and denied King’s request for a restraining order against Marshall. “Anderson said the Republican PAC is federally regulated and questioned how he and state law would have jurisdiction over transfers that happened in another state,” the Associated Press reported. After the ruling, Marshall’s campaign released a statement accusing King of abusing the judicial process to stage a political stunt. “He did so routinely as AG and Republicans fired him in 2010 because of it,” the Montgomery Advertiser reported. “We are glad the court has confirmed this and look forward to getting back to the issues Alabama voters actually care about in the final days of this campaign.”
2018 runoff election ad round-up: July 13 edition
The July 17 runoff election is only four days away and Alabama’s candidates have taken to the internet and the airwaves with campaign ads in hopes of swaying Yellowhammer State voters to their side. This week Republican Lieutenant Governor candidates Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh and Will Ainsworth are back at it again with the negative ads. Meanwhile Incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall has been fighting his own battle with Troy King this week, calling him out in his new ad. While some campaigns have turned negative, Judge Michelle Thomason, Christy Edwards, and Martha Roby have chosen to focus their ads on their own merits. Lieutenant Governor Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh: Title: Ainsworth’s Real Record Published: July 6, 2018 Tone: Malicious Will Ainsworth: Title: Believe Published: July 10, 2018 Tone: Thoughtful Attorney General Steve Marshall: Title: Fake News Published: July 9, 2018 Tone: Frustrated Civil Appeals Court: Place 1 Michelle Thomason: Title: Judge Michelle Thomason Published: July 12, 2018 Tone: Laudatory Michelle Thomason: Title: Judge Michelle Thomason Published: July 12, 2018 Tone: Nostalgic Christy Edwards: Title: Christy Edwards Runoff Published: July 9, 2018 Tone: Sincere U.S. Congressional District 2 Martha Roby: Title: Numbers Published: June 9, 2018 Tone: Frank
Kay Ivey leads Alabama team at 2018 Farnborough International Airshow
Gov. Kay Ivey is leading a team of Alabama economic development specialists at one of the world’s largest airshows next week, for meetings aimed at accelerating growth in the state’s aerospace and aviation industry. The 2018 Farnborough International Airshow, which begins Monday, July 16 in London, is the global aerospace industry’s premier trade event in 2018. There, Ivey, Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield and a small working team from the Alabama Department of Commerce will attend appointments with high-ranking executives and key decision-makers from major aerospace companies. “In the past year, we’ve seen many exciting aerospace projects come to Alabama, and our goal is to make sure we land more of them. At the Farnborough Airshow, I will work with my team at the Alabama Department of Commerce, led by Secretary Greg Canfield, to position the state for additional growth and job creation in the aerospace industry,” Ivey said. “Alabama is a leader in aerospace, and we’re aiming to elevate the state’s profile in this important industry through even more growth.” Organizers say Farnborough will host more than 1,500 exhibitors and up to 100,000 visitors during the event’s trade show portion, which is dedicated to industry representatives and other professionals. Alabama’s aerospace Growth The air show mission comes at a time of robust growth for Alabama’s aerospace industry. In 2017, aerospace companies finalized plans for nearly $700 million in new capital investment in Alabama, which will create 1,750 jobs, according to projections by the Alabama Department of Commerce. Investment in the sector totals around $2.4 billion since 2011, resulting in 8,300 new jobs. Hiring trends within the sector remain strong, with companies including Boeing, Airbus, GE Aviation, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Blue Origin expanding their workforces in the state. Canfield said the Farnborough Airshow represents a unique opportunity for his team to engage in a series of scheduled appointments with key industry figures over three days. “At Farnborough, we can showcase Alabama’s many advantages and capabilities in the aerospace sector while positioning the state for additional investment and job creation,” he said. “Our team can connect with companies from around the world at one location, without having to travel all over the globe.” Alabama officials have attended the Farnborough International Airshow and its sibling, the Paris Air Show, for a number of years because having a presence at the industry’s most important annual events is seen as critical to efforts to land new aerospace jobs and investment. At the Paris Air Show in 2017, Ivey and Canfield attended 22 appointments with industry executives. The discussions touched on five ongoing projects and uncovered four potential new projects for Alabama. Altogether, these projects involved between 1,600 and 1,900 possible new jobs. “Alabama’s aerospace industry is thriving and gaining momentum for even more future growth,” Ivey added. “I want to see this industry continue to expand across Alabama, bringing good jobs, additional investment and new capabilities.” Ivey is the former chair of the Aerospace States Association, a nationwide group representing states’ interests in federal aerospace and aviation policy development. She is a member of the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group.
Rauf Bolden: Call for a better paid Mayor and Council in Orange Beach
Jumping into the vortex of social change requires courage, rewarding executives for time and effort spent invigorates the community. Coaxing the City Council into amending Ordinance No. 2016-1219, giving the 2020 group of elected officials real-world salaries is a decision that must be on the table. Actually pulling-the-trigger and compensating those in the front line for the responsibilities associated with managing a $40 million per year budget is another matter. Council is imbued with a sense of entitlement, and does not have the passion or the desire to complete the transition to a modern-pay structure for elected officials. Orange Beach needs a 40 hour-per-week Mayor, being paid a salary of $168,000 per year, compensating him or her for the effort required to run a $40 million dollar a year enterprise. Council Members should also be rewarded for their part-time work, proposing $52,000 per year for each Council person is realistic, being members of the Board of Directors of the same $40 million dollar a year company. These salaries must include family-health benefits, being paid for by the taxpayer. Today, the Mayor earns $42,000 per year, the Mayor Pro-Tem gets $16,557.36 per year, and each Council Member is paid $13,401.18 per year, according to Public Records from the Clerk’s Office at the City of Orange Beach. The Ordinance defining salaries (2016-1219) does not reflect a working wage, considering the liabilities elected officials assume as public servants. Pay for municipal office has never balanced out the workload with the responsibilities. I propose Council finally right this wrong, changing the balance sheet, perhaps attracting more qualified candidates, and giving constituents more choice. Planning for any wage increase requires Council to allocate funds for the next set of elected officials in 2020, being unable to give yourself a raise while still in office, per legal statue. Seeking legal opinions from the State of Alabama’s Attorney General’s Office is a long process. Starting now to build a case for change keeps us ahead of potential problems, providing the best chance to improve our candidate selection for the next election cycle, because the job will be worth the trouble. The key issue is constituent mindset. In a geographic area where wages are traditionally low, commonly finding jobs at $10 per hour is the norm, understanding the skill set the Mayor and Council have, enabling them to manage a city of 300 employees is not widely understood. Skilled managers are needed, designing and permitting a City Bridge costing $60 Million across Wolf Bay, breaking ground on a new Middle School and High School with city-financed Performing-Arts Center ($4 Million), and athletic fields ($4 Million). Taking this burden off of the shoulders of constituents is what government does, compensating officials by offering realistic salaries for the Mayor and Council positions is what the city needs, because our elected officials are doing the heavy lifting. “Why should we pay the Mayor at all?” my neighbor asked. “He gets other perks with the job.” “True,” I replied, “but free tickets to the Boat Show hardly make up for the time elected officials spend making our quality-of-life better, making our community safer, or improving the economic potential of our city.” The Baldwin County Commission voted to increase the next group of Commissioners’ salaries from $32K to $65K, similarly comparing the Mobile County Commissioners get $79K per year, according to FoxTV10, posted by Robbie Byrd. I argue we should increase the salaries of Orange Beach’s Mayor and Council from $42K and $13K respectively to $168K and $52K for the next election cycle, attracting professional candidates with a broad-spectrum of experience from diverse-corporate backgrounds. When a Mayor and City Council stand unopposed in a general election, being the case in 2016, it is not good for democracy. So let’s pay our elected officials what the job is worth. Jumping into the vortex of social change requires courage, rewarding executives for time and effort spent invigorates the community. Coaxing Council into amending Ordinance No. 2016-1219, giving the 2020 group of elected officials real-world salaries is a decision that must be on the table. Actually pulling-the-trigger and compensating those in the front line for the responsibilities associated with managing a $40 Million per year budget is another matter. ••• Rauf Bolden is retired IT Director at the City of Orange Beach, working as an IT & Web Consultant on the Beach Road. He can be reached at: publisher@velvetillusion.com.
John Cooper, ALDOT ignore Jim Ziegler public records request for 3mo, Zeigler forced to give hard deadline
After three months of being ignored by Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Transportation Director John Cooper and ALDOT Chief Counsel William Patty, Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler is doubling down on his efforts of questioning the spending priorities of the ALDOT. On Thursday, Zeigler was forced to send a second letter to Cooper and Patty requesting further information about an $87 million state-funded bridge project in Baldwin County — which would be a second bridge to Orange Beach. But this time, Zeigler isn’t taking their silence as an answer; he’s given Cooper and Patty a deadline to respond: August 17. Zeigler again requested the following documents from the ALDOT: Copies of any and all studies that demonstrated a need for a bridge over the Intercoastal waterway Any and all documents that show a change in the need for the Intercoastal bridge since the determination in 2016 that the bridge was unnecessary Any and all analyses to support spending $30-$87 million in state funds in light of the pressing infrastructure needs throughout the state Any and all documents that resulted in the range of costs projected ($30 to $87 million) Documents that show cost overruns on current and recent ALDOT projects According to the court filing from the bridge company, they agreed to widen their bridge at no additional cost to Please provide any and all documents that address why the option of widening the original bridge is not being utilized. “Please let me know who will be working on this request or if there is a problem with getting the information requested by August 17,” Zeigler wrote in his letter. Zeigler sent his first letter requesting the information back in April. “I have more questions than I do answers about the proposed additional bridge. I hope to solve that with my specific requests for public records,” Zeigler explained in April. “With other pressing needs for infrastructure improvements, we need to make sure that this $30 to $87 million-dollar project is the best use of our limited funds.” Zeigler continued, “Could this money be better spent to finish ‘Bloody 98’ in Mobile County; to solve congestion on I-65, U.S. 280 and I-565; and to address dozens of local projects? The public needs to know, and I intend to figure it out.” Read Zeigler’s second letter below:
Critically endangered fish holds up Toyota-Mazda plant construction
A tiny endangered fish is holding up big plans in Huntsville. Toyota officials announced Thursday, that a lawsuit overs the spring pygmy sunfish — a small freshwater fish known from only one spring complex in the Tennessee River watershed. It is so rare that it was twice thought to be extinct — has halted construction on the new Toyota-Mazda plant in the Rocket City. The lawsuit Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity explains the fish, which measures about 1 inch or less in length and received status as an endangered species in 2013, was never designated a critical habitat. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is legally obligation to do one year after a species is labeled as endangered. The suit claims the last remaining habitat for the fish, which now only lives in a space measuring six stream miles near the Beaverdam Spring and Creek watershed, is at risk of being destroyed with the plans to build the automotive plant on the existing habitat. “We won’t let this rare fish wait any longer for the habitat protections it’s guaranteed under the Endangered Species Act,” said Elise Bennett, an attorney at the Center. “Reckless development has already sent this little fish diving toward the brink of extinction. The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to protect the sunfish’s habitat immediately before this massive manufacturing plant destroys what’s left of it.” Toyota-Mazda plans In January, Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. announced plans to build a massive automobile manufacturing plant in Huntsville, adjacent to the Beaverdam Spring Complex. Set to open in 2021 the plant is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles a year
