Another one bites the dust
By Jennifer J. Foster
Published: February 25, 2009
Another Alabama state lawmaker was convicted of corruption yesterday.
This time it was (now former) State Rep. Sue Schmitz (D-Toney), who was found guilty of seven of eight counts of mail fraud and fraud involving a program receiving federal funds.
From the Birmingham News:
Prosecutors accused Schmitz, a Democrat, of using political connections to create a community relations job with the Community Intensive Training for Youth (CITY) program and getting $177,251 in pay while doing little or no work from February 2003 to October 2006.
Schmitz’s lawyer says she will “most likely” appeal.
More from the News:
Estes said the federal investigation of the two-year college system in Alabama, which led to the charges against Schmitz, is continuing. The investigation has produced more than a dozen guilty pleas, convictions and indictments from people with two-year college ties, including current and former legislators. The CITY program is part of the two-year college system.
Here’s what I want to know: How is this going to affect the Legislature’s treatment of ethics reform this year? Specifically, what does it mean for:
The bill to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers, which is always passed by the House and either gutted or ignored by the Senate;
The ban on so-called “double-dipping,“ the practice that allows sitting legislators to also draw state paychecks in other areas (such as from ... oh, I don’t know ... two-year colleges throughout Alabama); and
Various bills regarding the Alabama Ethics Commission. Some bills are great, including one that would give the Ethics Commission subpoena power. This one is a no-brainer, as far as I’m concerned. But some would exacerbate ethics problems in Alabama. One by State Sen. Lowell Barron (D-Fyffe) would actually place a 30-day time limit on investigations by the Ethics Commission. Great idea, senator, especially considering that the commission has neither enough personnel or resources as it is now to field all the complaints they get about you guys in a timely manner.
... Or, maybe that’s the point.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how these legislators will react to ethics bills on Goat Hill in light of all the recent unveilings of corruption among their ranks. How they react will say a lot about their own ethics—or lack thereof.
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