Opponents of SBOE Ban Consider Options
One legislative option is already being discussed as a response to today’s decision by the State Board of Education to prohibit two-year college system employees from serving in the Legislature. Those opposed to such a blanket ban have raised the possibility of a bill to create a separate board to oversee two-year colleges. The SBOE would continue to oversee K-12 schools but not two-year colleges.
You may remember that Thomas Corts proposed a separate board for two-year schools when he was interim chancellor of the two-year college system. The idea was well-received in many circles, but not by the SBOE.
Any such proposal now would naturally be viewed as a political end-run around today’s decision.
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The Democrats risk a huge backlash if they do something like that Danny. Democrats in Georgia lost control of the state senate in ‘02 because of their blind loyalty to the former Majority Leader Charles Walker. They also lost control of the Tennessee State Senate earlier this year because of their loyalty to five indicted State Senators. They appear to be on the verge of losing the Lousianna State Senate in two months because of their loyalty to the Democrat bigwigs in New Orleans. So in my opinion if Lowell and Zeb want to keep their majority in this state then they would be well advised to cut Hubbert lose on this issue.
Comment by brian — August 23, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
Hard-hitting Press-Register editorial about Paul Hubbert and the Alabama Education Association and their opposition to reform and their lust for power that concludes, “The leaders of the AEA talk about education, but they believe in power. They may be about to discover that even their power has limits. “
Comment by Anonymous — August 23, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
The Press Register is about as objective on the matter as AEA itself.
Comment by Anonymous — August 23, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
Dothan Eagle editorial encouraging passage of the ban: “There has been a long and shady tradition of two-year colleges providing jobs for lawmakers, often creating positions with little or no duties, which give the lawmaker a title and a usually hefty salary.”
Comment by Anonymous — August 23, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Shaking foundations
Friday, August 03, 2007 Huntsville Times
The Riley-Byrne reform plan heads in the right direction
Unless you condone bad - and sometimes corrupt - government, you have to oppose the double dipping that is rampant in Alabama. A place to start is the community college system. Why? Because, as The Birmingham News’ Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting has shown, it’s a rats’ nest of duplicity and greed and inefficiency.
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Editorials
Published Friday, August 3, 2007 Tuscaloosa News
Double-dipping rescue effort unwise for state legislators
Hubbert and his lawmaking buddies better be careful, however. He might call the shots for the Legislature but not for the voters.
Alabamians already are unhappy with lawmakers for giving themselves a fat pay raise this year, then wasting the majority of the regular session in Montgomery. If they add to that a determined drive to preserve double-dipping, it may come back to haunt them at election time.
A good example of why lawmakers should not be hired by the two-year system emerged right in our own backyard.
Before he resigned from the post in the wake of negative news reports this year, state Rep. Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill, drew a $49,677 annual paycheck from Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa.
His job description listed him as a consultant, but a fact-finding team from the chancellor’s office said Shelton officials were unable to say exactly what Guin did for the school.
Comment by Anonymous — August 23, 2007 @ 8:32 pm
Hubbert is panicked. He, through his protege Roy Johnson, had been using the two-year system for years to pay-off legislators. Let’s not forget the story out of Chambers County where Joe Turnham and Ken Guin promised a woman a job in the two-year system if she would run against Dwight Bridges. Hubbert’s two-year system in crumbling and as it does Alabama’a voters are getting a whiff of the stench that permeates the system. Expect a huge backlash in the next legislative system. It will prove once and for all that Hubbert will do anything to keep control of the currupt system. Expect Alabama’s voters to take note.
Comment by Susan — August 23, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
On a related note–Joe Reed got slammed dunked by the Justice Department in his bid to get the Montgomery municipal election delayed. Not a good day for Hubbert and Reed.
Comment by Susan — August 23, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
Once this all plays out, possibly in both the legislature and the courts, we can say, “OK, that takes care of the 2 year system double-dippers, now let’s see how many are in the four year system and figure out a way to do something about them”. But even if we eliminate all double-dippers from the legislature, as long as we have a part time legislature where the office holders have full- time employment elsewhere we will still be plagued with perceived or actual conflict of interest problems whenever they vote on legislation that could affect their full-time job. That’s just one of the many reasons I favor changing to a full-time unicameral legislature modeled on the one in Nebraska where the office seekers run on a non-partisan basis.
Comment by Don — August 24, 2007 @ 6:03 am
Don,
I understand your feeling, but the issue here is individuals who draw two tax-payer paychecks. People who have a proven record
of funneling money to the organizations for which they work so they can control it (some for personal gain–think Bryon Melton.
We don’t need a full-time legislature, we just need an honest one.
Susan
Comment by Susan — August 24, 2007 @ 9:23 am
Employment with a public entity during ‘06:
1) Sen. Linda Coleman, D-Birmingham: American with Disabilities compliance officer, city of Birmingham.
2) Sen. Larry Dixon, R-Montgomery: executive director Alabama Board of Medical Examiners.
3) Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Semmes: teacher, Mobile County public schools.
4) Sen. Jimmy Holley, D-Elba: coordinator for continuing education, Troy University.
5) Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery: director of adult education, Trenholm Technical College, Patterson campus.
6) Rep. Alan Boothe, D-Troy: director of local government relations, Troy University.
7) Rep. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham: director of economic and community development, city of Bessemer.
8) Rep. Priscilla Dunn, D-Bessemer: homeless education coordinator, city of Bessemer.
9) Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa: city attorney, city of Tuscaloosa.
10) Rep. Blaine Galliher, R-Rainbow City: director of business and industry, Gadsden State Community College.
11) Rep. Betty Carol Graham, D-Alexander City: vice president, Central Alabama Community College.
12) Rep. Todd Greeson, R-Ider: administrative coordinator for business and industry, Athens State University.
13) Rep. Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill: works for Bevill State Community College; also worked for Shelton State Community College in 2006.
14) Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville: administrator, Calhoun Community College, Decatur.
15) Rep. Alan Harper, D-Aliceville: director of economic development, city of Aliceville.
16) Rep. Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville: program director, Central Alabama Skills Consortium, Southern Union Community College.
17) Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery: instructor, Alabama State University.
18) Rep. Ralph Howard, D-Greensboro: instructor, Shelton State Community College.
19) Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville: educator, Alabama Southern Community College.
20) Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, D-Mobile: president Bishop State Community College (retired in 2007).
21) Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery: director of communications and public affairs, Alabama State University.
22) Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Capshaw: probation officer, city of Huntsville.
23) Rep. Mike Millican, D-Hamilton: employed Bevill State Community College.
24) Rep. Neal Morrison, D-Cullman: administrator, Wallace State Community College, Hanceville.
25) Rep. Jack Page, D-Gadsden: community and external affairs liaison, Gadsden State Community College.
26) Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham: director of minority affairs, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
27) Rep. Sue Schmitz, D-Toney: employed CITY Skills Training Consortium, a part of two-year college system. Left her position in October, 2006.
28) Rep. Terry Spicer, D-Elba: assistant to president, Enterprise-Ozark Community College.
29) Rep. James Thomas, D-Selma: principal Wilcox-Central High School, Camden.
30) Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris: Birmingham police sergeant.
31) Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster: director of economic development, city of Alabaster.
32) Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee: director of economic development, Trenholm State Technical College.
33) Rep. Henry White, D-Athens: elementary school principal, Limestone County.
Comment by OldCloverdale — August 24, 2007 @ 11:05 am
Susan, I agree that we need an honest legislature and that the action taken by the SBOE deals with legislators who are paid by at least two taxpayer funded entities. But even if the ban approved by the SBOE stands, we still have a problem with other legislators who may be drawing a second paycheck from the 4 year college system or other government positions, plus other legislators who vote on legislation that affects them or their non-governmental employer. A full time legislature would deal more effectively with those situations. If we already had a full time legislature we wouldn’t be have to spend taxpayer money to defend the action taken by the SBOE in courts. The SBOE wouldn’t even have had to deal with the double-dipper problem to begin with. But no matter what type of legislature we might have, none would insure our having an honest one.
Comment by Don — August 25, 2007 @ 8:17 am
I’m with Don. The two-year college double-dipping is an obvious scandal, easy for taxpayers to understand and easy to use to get them riled. When other agencies or businesses hire legislators to be their own lobbyist-voters, the cost isn’t as clear, but we’re still footing the bill. This ban is just a start at cleaning up the corruption and undue influence in Montgomery.
Comment by Kathy — August 25, 2007 @ 11:10 am
Don and Kathy you seem to be seeking an impossibility–a legislature made up of individuals who have been untainted by any profession or interest. The legislature is made up of citizens. A full time legislature has as many possibilities for cuorruption as the part-time–perhaps more (e.g. see the US Congress, BOTH parties).
Comment by Susan — August 25, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
There’s also discussion of this topic (“State Board of Ed Bans Double-Dipping”) on Kathy’s Birmingham Blues blog @ http://www.queervoice.net/kmcmullen/.
Susan, I emailed a document to Kathy that sort of fleshes out my thoughts about this. You may want to ask her to forward it to you.
Comment by Don — August 25, 2007 @ 12:51 pm