Byrne for Governor

By Jennifer J. Foster

Two-year college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne made it official today: He’s running for governor in 2010.

Byrne said this morning during his remarks that he will base his candidacy on the three Es: Ethics reform, education and economic development.

Byrne was gracious in his remarks toward Gov. Bob Riley as he embarked on the campaign to replace him. Byrne said that Alabamians have seen in Riley what a conservative, Republican reform-minded governor can do for this state; Byrne will be a governor in that mold, he said.

It’s not surprising that the man who became a gubernatorial prospect because of the way he handled the cleanup of corruption in the two-year college system would be at his best on the stump when discussing ethics reform. You can catch a segment of his remarks here, or you can read his complete press release here.

Incidentally, I was forwarded a link to this story by a friend earlier today. It discusses the tension between some of the State Board of Education members and Byrne and their perception that he has used the chancellor’s post as a springboard to governor.

I couldn’t help but provide you with this excerpt, because I believe it demonstrates the bold, bottom-line, take-no-prisoners streak in Bradley Byrne that makes him such an effective crusading reformer. It details an exchange between Byrne and SBOE member Ella B. Bell, who was the lone board member to vote against Byrne’s appointment as chancellor:

Upon hearing of Byrne’s departure, Bell said she had never heard anything from him about leaving the chancellorship before his fulfilling his three-year contract. Still, like many critics, she said his intentions were obvious.

“It’s been apparent every since the day you came here that you would run for governor,” said Bell, restating her words to Byrne at a recent board meeting. “You came here to build a platform off of state dollars. Everybody knows you were put here to run.”

Of this criticism, which many union members have also echoed, Byrne only offered a simple response.

“I don’t know of a single person who has gotten to be elected governor as a chancellor of a two-year college system that is between two major criminal investigations and amidst Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of a scandal by a local newspaper,” Byrne retorted.

As Michael Kelso would say, “BURRRRN!“

Come to think of it, “burn” is a homophone for our candidate—and it’s an indication of what he’ll do to those who still seek to cheat and steal from this state and its taxpayers.

Byrne is on the web at ByrneforAlabama.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @bradleybyrne.

Tim Turnham faces the judge

By Jennifer J. Foster

Opelika-Auburn News staff writer Joe McAdory has a story in tomorrow’s paper about Auburn businessman Tim Turnham’s sentencing before a federal court judge.

But ... it’s online tonight:

Auburn businessman Tim Turnham pleaded guilty two years ago to obstruction of justice as part of a sweeping corruption scandal involving former Alabama two-year college chancellor Roy Johnson of Opelika.

Wednesday, a federal court judge in Birmingham sentenced Turnham, 58, to two years probation and fined the Alabama Contract Sales Inc. executive $1,000, according to a report by The Birmingham News.

Turnham’s case was part of a scandal that led to numerous charges against leaders within the state’s two-year college system. Johnson is still awaiting sentencing ...

Turnham’s business allegedly doctored invoices for work and furnishings at Johnson’s Opelika home. At the time, Johnson was president of Southern Union State Community College.

Turnham admitted to investigators that his business overcharged colleges, ultimately putting thousands of dollars in the pockets of Johnson.

Tim Turnham is the brother of Alabama Democratic Party chairman Joe Turnham.

I’m glad to hear that Turnham has been cooperating with investigators. That is an important part of demonstrating true remorse for one’s illegal activities.

I’m similarly glad to hear that he has made restitution of nearly $1 million. There is no place for those who would cheat the taxpayers of this state, especially at a time when lawmakers are struggling to adequately meet their obligations, including its PACT promises.

I want to believe that Tim Turnham is doing what he can to make things right, and I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s truly sorry for what he did, and not just that he got caught.

Here’s hoping that his cooperation with federal authorities will expose the other cheats and thieves that still remain out there.

Durbin won’t support Burris in 2010

By Jennifer J. Foster

As an update to my post this morning, we have this from the CNN Political Ticker:

Sen. Dick Durbin repeated Wednesday that he would not support his colleague from Illinois, Sen. Roland Burris, for re-election in 2010.

Durbin said he told Burris that he was “disappointed” to read a federal wiretap transcript, released on Tuesday, which showed that the junior senator had offered former Gov. Rod Blagojevich campaign cash while trying to win a Senate appointment.

“We stuck our neck out for him and said if you do this thing, you’ll do it in a proper, professional way, then we can stand behind you being sworn into the Senate,“ Durbin said, according to NBCChicago.com. “And I just don’t think his testimony was complete and accurate.“

Hey, wait a minute. I thought the deal was that Burris wouldn’t run in 2010. Am I remembering that wrong, or has he amended that position, too?

 

Burris wiretap released

By Jennifer J. Foster

Remember Roland I’m-such-a-humble-guy Burris?

Yeah, you remember him ... he’s the guy that Rod Blagojevich appointed to the Senate when Blagojevich stunned everyone by appointing someone to the Senate in that few-week span of time between when he had made bail on federal corruption charges and when the Illinois Senate kicked him out of office.

Blago and Burris stood side by side at the announcement, and both insisted that the deal was no deal at all—it was a legitimate appointment, based on nothing but Burris’s experience and ability.

Burris told a grand jury and fellow senators the same thing. And then—after being sworn in, of course—he had a series of epiphanies that caused him to tweak—er, amend his testimony to the grand jury and his statements to senators.

And then he stopped talking altogether and let other people talk for him.

Well, a federal judge cleared the way this week for the release of a long-awaited transcript of a wiretapped conversation between Burris and Blago’s brother, Robert Blagojevich, who headed the governor’s campaign fund.

According to the transcript, Burris appears to understand both the gravity of what he’s being asked to do and the public perception of those actions if he was to secure the Senate appointment. He references his efforts in trying to “figure out what the heck, you know, I can do,“ and mentions the possibility of putting on a fundraiser for Blagojevich organized in the name of one of Burris’s business partners.

Burris says twice that he will “personally” write a check to the governor, and Robert Blagojevich references prior conversations—“a number of conversations,“ in his words—that he and Burris have had about this issue.

You can read the rest here, or as part of the Chicago Tribune’s coverage here.

It’s unlikely that this evidence will be enough to spur the Senate Ethics Committee to censure or remove Burris ... at least, not until the grand jury comes back with a decision on whether to indict Burris for perjury, or other transcripts of other wiretapped conversations involving Burris are released. But it is a continuing problem for Democrats, who will need Burris as the 60th vote if the MMA/Senate cage grudge match between Norm Coleman and Al Franken is ever settled before 2010.