Petty or pragmatic? Jim Zeigler’s Montgomery parking passes pulled
State Auditor Jim Zeigler is on the move yet again. Zeigler received a notice Friday afternoon that his parking space was being eliminated effective Monday, Feb. 25. His staff have also had their spaces removed. Zeigler says he had “no inkling that there was a move afoot to take my parking space and the spaces of my staff.” “This precipitous action causes a serious problem for my operations. The legislature starts back March 5, and there will be no spaces available on the street,” Zeigler explained. “It was not a notice to move another location – just to get out. It was a one-way ticket – out. This was not a change of parking spaces but an ouster.” Zeigler, who was not given any advance notice had no opportunity to find new spaces. “We did not have the opportunity to find any new spaces by Monday,” Zeigler added. The state offices and commercial parking lots are closed over the weekend. Plus, our budget was cut over the last four years, and we do not have additional money for commercial parking lots.” According to the notice, “these parking spaces can be assigned as appropriate by the Governor or her designee” though no official reason was given as to why Zeigler’s spots were among those recalled. Alabama Today has reached out to Gov. Kay Ivey‘s office for further details, but have not heard back. We will update accordingly when they respond. History of moves against Zeigler Zeigler’s pass removal is far from the first action seemingly taken against the State Auditor. It follows an April 2018 written notice from Legislative Council informing him he was being kicked out of the Alabama State House. He since found a new home for his auditors: the Alabama Ethics Commission. Prior to that, the State Auditor’s budget was slashed twice during Gov. Robert-Bentley era budget cuts, down to 28.5 percent. His staff was cut in half from eleven employees to five and half. “Despite all the cuts, we have remained current on our audits, but by the skin of our teeth. One more setback might put us below sea level,” Zeigler said. Zeigler believes the parking situation has been mishandled. “This parking space confiscation was totally mishandled,” he explained. The powers-that-be could have involved me in talking about the supposed need of others to the parking spaces of my staff. This was a total surprise attack. Someone obviously does not care what affect their surprise actions have on the State Auditor’s office. There were just enough other employees also affected for them to be able to say that it was not aimed at the State Auditor.” Zeigler was re-elected in November for a second and final four-year term. He is now term limited. View Zeigler’s parking notice below:
Sen. Clyde Chambliss pre-files bill to reorganize the legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee
The Alabama Legislative Joint Transportation Committee will soon be reorganized if one Alabama lawmaker has his say. Pratville-Republican, State Senator Clyde Chambliss on Monday pre-filed SB35, a bill that will re-organize the committee, which has responsibility for reviewing the long-term plans and budget for the Alabama Department of Transportation. Chambliss worked closely with House Ways and Means Education Committee Chairman Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) and Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) to draw up the re-organization details. “There has been much discussion about the upcoming session, and specifically, funding for infrastructure. I support this effort to invest in our future, but I also want to make sure that we put effective accountability measures in place,” Chambliss said. “Appropriation and oversight are two of the primary responsibilities of the Alabama Legislature. The Joint Transportation Committee has been lax in that oversight role, and this bill will correct that by holding the Legislature accountable for doing our job.” Chambliss’ bill specifies the Joint Transportation Committee will meet a minimum of four times per year at the Statehouse, and also mandates members will be automatically removed for lack of attendance. “How can we build subject knowledge and educate ourselves and the public regarding critical transportation issues unless we solidify a public forum that ensures transparency, accountability and oversight and that every taxpayer dollar is being allocated properly to achieve maximum return on investment?” Poole asked. “This bill goes a long way toward correcting that.” Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton welcomed Chambliss’ legislation as something both sides of the aisle could support. “Accountability is a bipartisan issue and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that our transportation dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Infrastructure is important to our future and we must make the most of every dollar,” Singleton added.
Democrats ready to fight to make Robert Mueller report public
A top House Democrat has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller’s Russia investigation is not made public. Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said his committee will keep close watch on new Attorney General William Barr to see if he were “to try to bury any part of this report.” Schiff, D-Calif., also pledged to “take it to court if necessary.” He said anything less than complete disclosure would leave Barr, who now oversees the investigation, with “a tarnished legacy.” Schiff’s comments come as Democrats have made it clear that they are ready for an aggressive, public fight with the Justice Department if they are not satisfied with the level of access they have to Mueller’s findings. Mueller is showing signs of wrapping up his nearly 2-year-old investigation into possible coordination between Trump associates and Russia’s efforts to sway the 2016 election. The report isn’t expected to be delivered to the Justice Department this coming week. Barr has said he wants to release as much information as he can. But during his confirmation hearing last month, Barr made clear that he will decide what the public sees, and that any report will be in his words, not Mueller’s. Schiff, in a television interview, suggested that anything short of Mueller’s full report would not satisfy Democrats. He pointed to a public interest in seeing some of the underlying evidence, such as information gathered from searches conducted on longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chairman. With Democrats taking control of the House in January and Schiff now the committee chairman, he has undertaken his own investigation. That means re-examining issues covered by a now-closed GOP probe that concluded there was no evidence Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia. Schiff has said the committee also will pursue new matters, including whether foreign governments have leverage over Trump, his relatives or associates. Some Democrats are pointing to documents that Justice Department officials provided to Congress in the wake of the investigation of Hillary Clinton‘s emails, as well as information that Republicans demanded as part of their own inquiries. Schiff said he told department officials after they released information related to the Clinton investigation that “this was a new precedent they were setting and they were going to have to live by this precedent whether it was a Congress controlled by the Democrats or Republicans.” Beyond that, however, is “the intense public need to know here, which I think overrides any other consideration,” he said. Democrats could use Mueller’s findings as the basis of impeachment proceedings. In a letter Friday, Democrats warned against withholding information on Trump on the basis of department opinions that the president can’t be indicted. “We are going to get to the bottom of this,” Schiff said. “If the president is serious about all of his claims of exoneration, then he should welcome the publication of this report.” Many Republicans have also argued that the full report should be released, though most have stopped short of saying it should be subpoenaed. “We need to get the facts out there, get this behind us in a way that people thought that anybody that should have been talked to was talked to any question that should have been asked, was asked,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. But asked if he thought there could be a subpoena, Blunt, R-Mo., said, “I don’t know that you can.” The Senate committee also has been investigating whether Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia. Blunt suggested a conclusion in that probe might wait until after Mueller’s report. “We’d like to have frankly a little more access to the Mueller investigation before we come to a final conclusion,” Blunt said. “His report will help us write our final report. We’ve given Mueller full access to all of our interviews all of our investigation. We haven’t had that reciprocated and so we’ll soon find out what else is out there that we might not know about.” Schiff appeared on ABC’s “This Week,” and Blunt was on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Richard Shelby announces $43.3M for new agricultural facility in Auburn
Auburn University will be receiving $43.3 million in federal funds to construct a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Soil Dynamics Laboratory as part of the agency’s capital improvement strategy, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby announced Monday. “I am proud to have secured funding for the new ARS facility in Auburn,” Shelby aid. “The soil lab will serve as an outlet for the USDA to complete research that will improve crop and livestock production for Alabama and the entire nation. I look forward to the work that will result from the partnership between Auburn and the USDA, and I am confident the project will continue to enhance our state’s thriving agriculture industry.” The $43.3 million in funding for the new ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory was provided through the H. J. Res 31: the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, the final Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations package signed into law on February 15, 2019. Research done at the facility will focus on improving the productive and sustainable use of soil and water resources for increased crop and livestock production. The funding will allow for relocation and construction of the new facility, which will take the place of the current laboratory at Auburn. “The new facility will further Auburn’s drive to inspire through life-changing innovation,” said Auburn President Steven Leath. “Auburn will deepen its relationship with the USDA, more opportunities will emerge for our students and faculty and Auburn will be in a better position to solve real-world problems. Once again, Sen. Shelby has proven himself a champion of science and research that improves quality of life and fosters economic opportunity for farmers in Alabama and across the nation. We’re grateful to him for making it happen.” Agriculture is Alabama’s top revenue producing industry, generating an annual state-wide impact of over $70 billion. With over nine million acres of farmland and more than 48,500 farms, the state is a national leader in food production and a global competitor in the poultry, catfish, timber, cotton, and livestock industries.
Terry Lathan unanimously re-elected Alabama Republican chair
Terry Lathan was unanimously re-elected Saturday as chair of the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP). The approval came by acclamation from the 400-plus member Alabama Republican Executive Committee during the ALGOP’s Winter Meeting at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC) in downtown Birmingham this past weekend. This will be will Lathan’s third-term in the position. She ran unopposed. Below are a few items Lathan is “exceptionally proud” that highlight her and her team’s accomplishments in the 2018 election cycle: Another record-breaking general election: a statewide officer sweep, additional seats in the Alabama legislature with 71 Democrat to Republican seats flipped resulting in devastating defeat of the so called ‘Blue Wave’ in Alabama Raising over $1.188 million that fully funded our campaign plan and annual Party needs Funding and executing a seamless successful 2018 general election plan Added races expanding our base plan which produced big wins Defending and growing GOP seats in 29 counties that had head-to-head races with Democrats Maintained an aggressive year-round social media footprint to push our Party content and messaging Lathan is a native of Mobile, Alabama where she lives with her husband, Jerry. They have two adult children. She is a former public school teacher and has been volunteering with the Republican Party for over 40 years. She has served as Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party since February 2015, making her the longest serving female ALGOP state chairman. If re-elected will be the longest serving chair since 1985.
Expectations low as Donald Trump looks for win in NKorea summit
President Donald Trump will head into his second meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un having reframed what would make a successful summit, lowering expectations for Pyongyang’s denuclearization while eager to declare a flashy victory to offset the political turmoil he faces at home. Trump was the driving force behind this week’s Vietnam summit, aiming to recreate the global spectacle of his first meeting with Kim, although that initial summit yielded few concrete results and the months that followed have produced little optimism about what will be achieved in the sequel. He once warned that North Korea’s arsenal posed such a threat to humanity that he may have no choice but to rain “fire and fury” on the rogue nation, yet on Sunday declared that he was in no hurry for Pyongyang to prove it was abandoning its weapons. “I’m not in a rush. I don’t want to rush anybody, I just don’t want testing. As long as there’s no testing, we’re happy,” Trump told a gathering of governors at the White House. Hours earlier, he ended a tweet about the summit by posing the key question that looms over their meeting in Vietnam: “Denuclearization?” He did not provide an answer. Though worries abound across world capitals about what Trump might be willing to give up in the name of a win, the president was ready to write himself into the history books before he and Kim even shake hands in Hanoi. “If I were not elected president, you would have been in a war with North Korea,” Trump said last week. “We now have a situation where the relationships are good — where there has been no nuclear testing, no missiles, no rockets.” Whatever the North Koreans have done so far, the survival of the Kim regime is always the primary concern. Kim inherited a nascent, incomplete nuclear program from his father, and after years of accelerated effort and fighting through crippling sanctions, he built an arsenal that demonstrates the potential capability to deliver a thermonuclear weapon to the mainland United States. That is the fundamental reason Washington now sits at the negotiating table. Kim, his world standing elevated after receiving an audience with a U.S. president, has yet to show a convincing sign that he is willing to deal away an arsenal that might provide a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurance the United States could provide. The North Koreans have largely eschewed staff-level talks, pushing for discussions between Trump and Kim. Trump will arrive in Hanoi on Tuesday on Air Force One while his counterpart, lacking a modern aircraft fleet, travels via armored train. Though details of the summit remain closely held, the two leaders are expected to meet at some point one-on-one, joined only by translators. The easing of tension between the two nations, Trump and his allies believe, stems from the U.S. president’s own unorthodox and unpredictable style of diplomacy. Often prizing personal rapport over long-held strategic interests, Trump has pointed to his budding relationship with the young and reclusive leader, frequently showing visitors to the Oval Office his flattering letters from Kim. Trump, who has long declared that North Korea represented the gravest foreign threat of his presidency, told reporters recently that his efforts to defang Pyongyang had moved Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, something Abe would not confirm or deny. And, always with an eye on his media coverage, Trump had delighted in the round-the-clock phenomenon created by the first Kim summit, held last June in Singapore. He urged reluctant aides as early as last fall to begin preparations for a second meeting. The images of the first face-to-face meeting between a U.S. president and his North Korean counterpart resonated across the globe. Four main goals emerged: establishing new relations between the nations, building a new peace on the Korean Peninsula, completing denuclearization of the peninsula and recovering U.S. POW/MIA remains from the Korean War. While some remains have been returned to the United States, little has been achieved on the other points. Korean and American negotiators have not settled on either the parameters of denuclearization or the timetable for the removal of both Korean weapons and American sanctions. “The key lessons of Singapore are that President Trump sees tremendous value in the imagery of diplomacy and wants to be seen as a bold leader, even if the substance of the diplomacy is far behind the pageantry,” said Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. U.S. intelligence officials testified before Congress last month that it remains unlikely Kim would fully dismantle his arsenal. And many voices in the Trump administration, including national security adviser John Bolton, have expressed skepticism that North Korea would ever live up to a deal. Mark Chinoy, senior fellow at U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California, made clear that after generations of hostility, the convivial atmosphere of Singapore “can’t be discounted.” But Chinoy noted that Trump had agreed to North Korean’s “formulation of ‘denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,’ which Pyongyang has long made clear meant an end to the US security alliance with South Korea and an end to the US nuclear umbrella intended to defend South Korea and Japan.” After the last summit, Trump unilaterally suspended some military drills with South Korea, alarming some in Seoul and at the Pentagon. But he was insistent this week that he would not drawdown U.S. troops from South Korea. And American officials, even as they hint at a relaxed timetable for Pyongyang to account for its full arsenal, have continued to publicly insist they would not ease punishing sanctions on North Korea until denuclearization is complete. A year ago, North Korea suspended its nuclear and long-range missile tests and said it dismantled its nuclear testing ground but those measures were not perceived as meaningful reductions. Experts believe Kim, who is enjoying warmer relations with South Korea and the easing of
Will Lochamy: Lol’ing at Randall Woodfin’s idea to rename the Birmingham Crossplex after Larry Langford
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is pushing to have the Birmingham Crossplex named after Larry Langford and people are lol’ing. I’ve sided with this mayor on almost everything during his short tenure, but I’m torn on this one. I know that Langford was crooked, but I also feel like his wild, unrealistic visions for Birmingham played a large role in kicking off the renaissance that our city has experienced. Maybe we didn’t get a beluga whale or a dome stadium, but he gave us this chip on our shoulder. He made us think we could be a city worthy of having the things that other cities had. Plus, naming the CrossPlex “after” him doesn’t necessarily mean it will be called the “Larry Langford CrossPlex.” It could just be something that makes us think of him. Here are a few suggestions: The “Gene Chiznik CrossPlex.” Alabama fans will love it and it’ll remind us of Larry getting names wrong. The “John Papke is the worst CrossPlex.” Their feud is certainly one that deserves to live on forever, whether John is actually the worst or not. If you don’t remember this reference, the YouTube video is well worth Googling. The “2020 Olympic CrossPlex,” since I’m still holding out hope on that Larry-ism. The “Birmingham Dome.” I mean, it DOES have a roof! Maybe it’s just too soon. With Mayor Langford’s recent release from prison and subsequent passing, we’ve been re-living all of the good and bad that came with his larger-than-life persona. It’s just poor timing to go from using the word “corrupt” to “honor” in the span of a month. I’m also concerned that if Larry gets his name on a building, it could take us down a slippery slope we might not foresee. “The Roy Moore Center for Equality and Compassion” or “The Sherrif Entrekin Beach House Association” are right around the corner. While Larry was entertaining and a world-class rabble-rouser, he didn’t play by the rules. Not only that, he broke the law in a state where our corruption cup overfloweth. The last thing we need to do is start naming buildings and putting up statues to honor people with problematic pasts… oh, wait. I’m going to choose to remember all the good stuff about Larry. If you got the chance to hear him speak or even just ran into him at the grocery store, you know how captivating and engaging he could be. He was the kind of guy that would ask you your name and then say it back to you in conversation. That’s a fantastic quality… unless you’re Jon Paepcke. (seriously, Google it.) ••• Will Lochamy is co-host of the radio show, “Oh Brother Radio” on Birmingham Mountain Radio (107.3FM).
Sit-in anniversary to be marked in Montgomery
An event next week will honor university students who led a 1960 sit-in at a whites-only courthouse lunch counter. Alabama State University said in a news release that resolutions by the Montgomery City Council and Montgomery County Commission that acknowledge the “wrongs from the past” will be presented Monday to the university president. The students from the historically black university on Feb. 25, 1960 staged a sit-in at the whites-only lunch counter at the Montgomery County Courthouse. It was the first known sit-in in Alabama to defy segregation laws. The students were arrested and prosecuted. The event is being held on the 59th anniversary of the protest. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Bradley Byrne: An immigration crossroads
Growing up, my parents taught me the basic values of fairness and following the rules. I think these values were common in households all across our state and country. In today’s society, those two basic values need to be applied to the ongoing debate about illegal immigration. In terms of fairness, we have people who are going through the legal process to enter our country, which takes time and effort, only to have people skip that entire process and just walk across our border illegally. That goes against the basic value of fairness. Also, we are a nation built on laws, but currently illegal immigrants openly disregard the rules and laws of our country. By not holding them accountable, we are further encouraging a culture where the rule of law does not matter. Currently, we find ourselves at a crossroads as a nation. Down one path is the status quo of broken immigration policy, porous borders, and a steady flow of drugs, violence, and human trafficking across the southern border. Down another path is what Democrats advocate for: open borders, limited funding for national security measures at the border, and disregard for the rule of law. But, down the final path is strong border security, including increased funding for a border wall, cracking down on criminal aliens in the United States, and reforming our broken immigration system in a way that works for American citizens, not for foreign interests. Unfortunately, the Democrat leadership in Washington is pulling the nation down the path to the left, the path that threatens our national security. Because of this, the President was recently left with no choice but to declare a national emergency to secure the funds necessary to adequately secure our border. As much as I wish that it had not come to this point, I stand with President Donald Trump on this action to get a handle on our immigration crisis. If the Democrats in control in Congress will not act in the best interest of the American people, then it is up to the President to take the necessary steps to keep our nation safe. I have heard from countless people throughout Alabama that they are worried about the influx of drugs and violent crime across our Southern border due to illegal immigration. We see story after story each week of criminals arrested by the dozen trying to enter our country illegally, murders committed by illegal immigrants who are members of violent gangs, and the myriad of deaths caused by overdose from drugs originating in Central and South America. This must stop. Once we can get a handle on the countless illegal crossings each week, we can move to reforming our broken system, combatting sanctuary cities, and encouraging people down legal paths to citizenship. For the officer killed in California at the hands of an illegal immigrant, I will fight this fight. For the three Americas killed in Missouri by an illegal immigrant released without the knowledge of ICE, I will fight this fight. For the young woman raped by a previously-deported illegal immigrant in Shelby County, I will fight this fight. For the people of Alabama, and for the people of the United States, I will remain committed to seeing this fight through to the end to secure our borders. We need to return the commonsense, family values of fairness and following the rules to the immigration debate. By doing that, we can take our nation down the path toward secured borders, safer communities, and a more prosperous nation. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
