ALABAMA CORRUPTION INSURANCE
Why is Alabama so corrupt?
Because all the Alabama government agencies or elected officials refuse to do their jobs.
Alabama has all the mechanisms to expose corruption and jails for those convicted. In Alabama we have Alabama Corruption Insurance. It is available to all elected officials. From Sheriff Dept. to City Council, Judges, Mayors, Circuit and District Courts.
The Insurance is free and provided by the same parties that are suppose to protect it’s constituents, citizens of the State. The Governor, Attorney general, The Judiciary, The Bar Association and of course the major provider, Alabama Ethics Commission.
Fill out the complaint forms go through the complaint procedure with any of the above and you have a 98% chance that the Alabama Corruption Insurance will put your complaint in the trash.
The Alabama Ethics Commission provides a process of requesting a formal advisory opinion. If you, as an elected official receive an opinion from the ethics commission, that is favorable, then you have “protection from prosecution”. However if you lie on the request but were given an opinion, you still are immune from prosecution.
The Alabama Ethics Commission aids and abets political corruption by providing the get out of jail card via the Alabama Corruption Insurance. In its present form the ethics commission will insure and maintain Alabama’s top spot in political corruption.
Political Corruption flourishes in Alabama because no accountability exists. From the smallest of municipalities to the largest cites in Alabama. Corruption is a daily battle.
Columbia, Alabama is embroiled in “alleged corruption”. The complaints have been filed against the Mayor and Chief of Police. These complaints from a concerned citizen, and supported by others, have been filed with the Attorney General and the Ethics Commission. The evidence provided to the Ripp Report is extensive and compelling.
The Columbia City Council has failed to recognize their oath of office and ethics requirement, that they report any action that may be illegal. The Police Chief, Council, and Mayor are banking on Alabama Corruption Insurance, so they see no need to explain anything.
What about the Dothan Eagle, WDHN, or Ricky Stokes? Where is the news coverage?
Where is the “Transparency and Accountability” that every news agency and politician professes to have? Columbia is a small municipality roughly 800 citizens, so the allegations are well known in the community.
Columbia is a classic case of how small time corruption and abuse of power exists throughout Alabama and becomes the norm, all while the citizens bite their lips.
Mobile, Jefferson County, Bay Minette and Fairhope, especially Fairhope all have the same Alabama Corruption Insurance, that has covered their asses too long.
Columbia residents should pay attention to the complaints and attend the council meeting and demand answers.
Do not allow those responsible to cop out by saying they are awaiting for a response from the Ethics commission.
If complaints are not investigated and no transparency or accountability is applied to the complaints then the corruption will fester. The complaints against the police chief should be vetted in council chambers where citizens can be made aware of the issues, such as abuse of power and position. The same with the “abuse of public funds” leveled at the Mayor.
Columbia’s “alleged” corruption shares the same similarities in that the Judges, Mayor, Council and police are sharing the same small bed. The media is absent because someone may be a friend of the Mayor or the subject of political corruption is to sensitive. Or they are to damn lazy to research the allegations.
That is why Political Corruption grows in Alabama like Kudzu.
The Ripp Report has enclosed just one of the complaints filed in Columbia:
Concerned Citizen
FYI
Did you know that Ben Freeman (Columbia’s local municipal prosecutor & the town’s lawyer) was the personal lawyer for Lori Mock (Columbia Officer Jim Mock’s wife) and recently defended her. This fact was recently revealed. Isn’t that a conflict of interest, being that officer Mock is a Columbia Police officer? So now, not only do we have an ethical issue of Ben Freeman being the son of the mayor, the personal lawyer for the chief of police and having documented (by bankruptcy court records) loans with the mayor of Columbia and his mother-in-law (Senior Center Director), but now we have him representing police officer Mock’s wife. I know that the Alabama Bar Association was contacted (by complaint). To my knowledge, nothing was done. Can you say cronyism and conflict of interest?
Let’s not forget the mayor giving out illegal work to her crony friends, including her live in boy friend. Let’s not forget about about the mayor loaning out town equipment (fork lift) to the same crony friend. Let’s not forget the free water (no account setup) to this same crony friend. Let’s not forget this same crony friend delivers water melons to the town hall as a gift to the mayor. Let’s not forget that the mayor instructs town employees to illegally mow private property, including the aforementioned crony friend’s private property. Let’s not forget the town’s property that the mayor illegally gave to an individual. Let’s not forget the illegal hams the mayor has been giving to the employees. Let’s not forget the flowers and gifts to citizens and herself using tax payer money. Let’s not forget that the council has knowledge of all the aforementioned and has chosen to remain silent. Remember it is not me saying all this…rather the documents say it!
Can you say buying votes? Can you say using the office of mayor for personal gain? Can you say ethics violations galore? Can you say felony theft of property?
Let’s not forget!
The Ripp Report has filed complaints with every agency in the state over the last 12 years and no complaint saw the light of day. I know lawyers and even a judge that have had the same experience. Not until the Feds step in and people are sent to jail on felony charges will anything change.
The Ripp Report will follow up on Columbia and let ya know if anything comes of the complaints or if they fall in the dark hole of Alabama Corruption Insurance.
Below are past articles addressing the same Political Corruption that keeps Alabama number one. Who is ultimately responsible ? YOU.
“Before you answer — before your tribalism shines through and you pull on the Republican jersey and start chanting for your favorite team — let’s run through a few things. “
“Quite frankly, it’s been pretty sticky, especially states like Alabama,” he said. “Once a state becomes corrupt, it stays corrupt for a while.
“Alabama State Representative Mike Ball proposed an ethics bill as a check and balance for prosecutors. The republican said he introduced the bill, AL HB179, as a tweak to the state’s ethics reform of 2010. Part of the bill would force district attorneys and Alabama’s Attorney General Office to get the approval of the Alabama Ethics Commission before prosecuting elected officials for corruption.”
Columbia you got problems but that pretty little town on the bay, Fairhope, aka Fauxhope, aka No hope, has you beat, they have made political corruption a cottage industry.
Pastor Chris Bell 3 Circle Church:
“People see Fairhope as a flourishing utopia where people build bigger and bigger houses, with a boat, the perfect kids and the perfect life. Fairhope’s prosperity and perfect surface is a veneer that covers deeper problems. But there is something darker underneath the veneer. Under the surface of Fairhope, more families struggle than we want to admit or imagine. Some people are hurting, getting left behind and forgotten.”