Baldwin Commissioner Chris Elliott arrested for drunk driving in Fairhope
Following attendance at a charity event, a Baldwin county commissioner faced a DUI arrest late Monday night. Commissioner Chris Elliott was arrested for driving drunk after failing to stop at a flashing red light at an intersection in Fairhope, AL. Earlier that evening, the 35-year-old Republican pol from Spanish Fort was at a steak cook-off hosted by the local Rotary Club. “I inadvertently ran a flashing red traffic light near the event in downtown Fairhope,” Elliott said in a release that was sent from his office. “On the advice of counsel, I declined the breathalyzer requested which automatically resulted in the issuance of a citation for driving under the influence of alcohol,” continued Elliott. “There are consequences for my decisions and I will face these consequences. I apologize for my actions and regret any embarrassment that this may cause the County that I serve, the law enforcement officers that keep us safe and my family that I love dearly.” Elliott, who represents Baldwin County’s 2nd District, was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley to the seat in 2014. According to AL.com, he joined fellow commissioners in warning against breaking traffic laws after a wave of headlines stirred concern over deadly traffic accidents. “When you fail to (obey the law), you run the very real risk of killing someone else,” said Elliott back in 2015.
State auditor says he has plan to rescue state parks
In a post this week about the budget I suggested that reaction to the threat of budget cuts would start to flood in. While legislators are discussing tax increases versus cuts it was inevitable that the doomsday predictions would begin. I experienced that during my time in D.C. when cuts were threatened there. Among the many reports of the scary things that would happen here if the budget included deeps cuts is the concern that 15 state parks will have to close. In an interview with AL.Com State Parks Director Greg Lein emphasized that “closed means closed.” I remember when park closings were done in response to the federal government shutdown. Do you? That was an adventure for everyone involved and ended in congressional inquiries about contingency plans about secondary plans that could have been used to keep them open. Thankfully, State Auditor Jim Zeigler says he has a plan to keep the sky from falling in the parks. In a release sent Saturday and posted on his Facebook page, Zeiger announced he has identified $13 million in savings that would allow those fearing impending closings to rest at ease. Parks will not have to be closed to pass a reasonable budget. Zeigler said he’ll announce his plan, which he calls “Save our parks with savings” on Tuesday at a Rotary Club meeting in Tuscaloosa. We will cover his plan once it is announced. We encourage more innovative leaders throughout our state to follow his lead and find ways to save and cut moving forward.
