Paul Davis: Harbert nomination to AU Board of Trustees in doubt

Why was the nomination of Birmingham billionaire Raymond Harbert to the Auburn University Board of Trustees unceremoniously rejected by Sen. Myron Penn at the close of the recently completed session of the Alabama legislature?
         
Inquiring minds would like to know. Here’s how it went down. Penn is a state senator representing Bullock and Macon counties. The senator also chairs the Senate committee that reviews the names of individuals sent to the Senate by the governor for seats on various boards and agencies. The governor appoints, but the senators must give their blessing.

But not this time. Three trustees were quickly approved for the University of Alabama, but as with all things Auburn, the water got more than a little muddy. What’s going on here? I’ll tell you. The Auburn faithful are alive and well and still making their presence known.

Penn heard from them quickly and directly. He also heard from some of the heaviest hitters within the Auburn family. Those who came calling included Jere Beasley, one of Alabama’s wealthiest and best-known attorneys. He wants changes on the Auburn board and he is siding with the Alumni Association in support of Sally Hill.

Taking a break at 12:30 p.m., Friday from a major fraud case in Montgomery courts, he phoned to affirm that he was supporting Hill and had talked with Penn. “Myron agreed that Sally would be best for Auburn. He did the right thing. Auburn folks did not support the Harbert nomination. He (Harbert) has had a lot of bad things to say about Auburn,” Beasley said. “Sally Hill deserves that slot on the board. I feel strongly about it.”

Beasley and the Auburn family led Penn to pay more attention to the Auburn family than to Gov. Bob Riley. It may be that’s because he’s a Democrat and Riley is a Republican, but I think it goes much deeper than that. There was a rather bitter split within the nominating committee that picked Harbert for a seat on the AU board.

That seat is now held by Earlon McWhorter. He has reached the mandatory retirement of 70, but by law can continue to serve on the board until his successor is appointed and confirmed.
For years the university’s board of trustees has been made up of Bobby Lowder and his cadre of handpicked men.

To break the stranglehold, Riley appointed a special nominations committee to pick a new trustee. That route also led to much squabbling. In recent years the nominating committee has been composed of two members selected by the Auburn University Alumni Association and two selected by the trustees.

The governor or his designee always chaired the committee. Most recently, Jim Main, the state finance director, represented the governor.

At the last meeting of that committee, dozens of potential nominees were interviewed in quick-draw interviews that were basically self-serving sessions in which the side of the table representing the trustees and the governor’s representatives already knew the outcome of the day’s interviews.

Lowder and Paul Spina cast their votes for Harbert. Ralph Jordan, Jr. and Dr. Neil Christopher, representing the Alumni Association, voted for Hill. Then, all eyes turned to Main. Sitting in for the governor, he cast his lot with Lowder.

Chalk up another victory for Lowder.

Unexpectedly, however, along came Penn, riding along the dusty trail created by the shameful conduct of the nominating committee. He took on the Lowder-Spina-Main-Riley coalition and won — for now. WOW!

Now the whole trustee selection process must start over again. The nominating committee must meet again, interview prospective trustees, and send a name to the Senate for possible confirmation. This time, the Lowder coalition will know upfront that they will face the wrath of Penn if it is obvious again that they have ignored the wishes of that mighty force known as the Auburn Alumni Association.

It does appear that Lowder could best spend his time seeing after the needs of his bank. Its stock has tumbled downward and today is selling around the $4 mark. Yet he dotes over Auburn University in a way that is truly obsessive and overbearing and he refuses to turn loose.

Vanity, vanity. All is vanity.

Paul Davis writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News. You may contact him at