Paul Davis: Choice of new AU trustee raises old eyebrows

It was a first-class, black-tie affair. The 1856 banquet in the Grand Ballroom of the Auburn Hotel and Conference Center. Raymond Harbert walked up and started a conversation with Ralph Jordan, son of the legendary former Auburn football coach.

The 1856 banquet is an annual affair of all those who bleed orange and blue. After the small talk, Harbert dropped a bomb from which Jordan is still seeking to recover.

He said his children would not be attending Auburn. Apparently, he did not feel too good about the academic credentials of his alma mater.

Sure enough, his children went away to what he perceived to be better schools.

In recent days, Jordan has joined with four others to name a nominee for an upcoming vacancy of the Auburn Board of Trustees. On the short list was the name of billionaire Harbert, whose kids are not Auburn students.

Jordan joined with Dr. Neil Christopher in voting against Harbert. Bobby Lowder, who had himself appointed to the selection committee, voted for Harbert. Lowder was joined by Paul Spina, president pro-tem of the Auburn board, in supporting Harbert’s nomination. Spina sits on one of Colonial Bank’s board of directors and does Lowder’s bidding.

That lineup made it 2-2. A deadlock. The tie-breaking ballot was in the hands of Jim Main, Gov. Bob Riley’s finance director. He was voting the governor’s wishes. His vote went for Harbert.
Figure that one out. One man close to the negotiations said, “It’s simple. Big money talks. Billionaires’ money screams.”

The committee conducted interviews with some 30 candidates. They made their decision in 30 minutes. One minute to deliberate each person. Unless, of course, the decision had been made in advance.

Go figure, again.

If confirmed by the Alabama State Senate, Harbert will take the at-large seat of Earlon McWhorter who has done much more during his tenure to harm than help Auburn, despite his millions in gifts. He was one of those of that ill-fated trip to Louisville a few years back in a failed attempt to hire Bobby Petrino to replace Tommy Tuberville as head football coach.

He was riding in Lowder’s big jet, doing Lowder’s bidding.

I don’t know Harbert. I don’t know many billionaires. In fact, I don’t know any billionaires. I don’t move in those circles.

I do know that Harbert has also given millions to Auburn and only recently purchased a large bloc of stock in The New York Times, and also Media General, which publishes the Opelika-Auburn News.

That must means he’s a pretty good investment banker, not to be confused with his uncle, another Birmingham billionaire, but in the construction business.

He has impeccable credentials, despite holding a bachelor’s degree in business from Auburn.

I do know for a fact that the majority of the board members at Auburn in recent years either bought their seats on the board or could be counted on to support, without question, the direction in which Lowder wanted to go — even if that meant to the brink of the loss of the university’s accreditation.

Sally Hill was also on that list of nominees and had the solid support of most powerful members of the Alumni Association. She has served Auburn for more than 40 years and is still most active today. She stepped in to take over fund raising at one point and completed a $500 million campaign for Auburn.

Andy Hornsby is the assistant state finance director. His boss, the tiebreaker, sits in an adjoining office. The governor’s office is across the hall. Hornsby has led the fight to break up Lowder’s firm grip on the Auburn board – two steps forward, three steps back.

Hornsby was on the earlier selections committee and managed, maybe, to get some new members not obligated to Lowder. It is known that Hornsby was distraught at the committee’s decision.

So we sail on. Spina at the helm, but Lowder hunkered down in the dark, murky waters really controlling the rudder. Let’s say a prayer for Auburn’s fine new president, Dr. Jay Gogue and his first mate, Susie. Maybe they can chart a moral course through these troubled waters.

Paul Davis writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at