RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Spending January in Maui The first week in January Gov. Riley, along with many of Alabama's leaders in economic development, both private and public, will host what is being billed as the "Third Annual 'Sweet Home Alabama' event." Home, however, will carry a new definition this year…the Kapalua Resort at Maui, Hawaii and the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the first tour event of the 2008 PGA Tour. The affair, called the Alabama Business Conference, was actually held in "Sweet Home Alabama" the first two years. But the State Development Office has announced that "following on the heels of a historic year in economic development, Alabama is starting its marketing calendar" with the junket to Maui. Actually ADO used the words "with one of its premiere events, rather than "with the junket to Maui." There will no doubt be entertainment, rounds of golf, luxury accommodations, plenty of beverages and food and perhaps the new premium seating for the tournament overlooking a bay and carrying a very premium price of $225-per-seat. Mixed in with the fun and festivities will be a few meetings at which the speakers will include the president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz US International, the president and CEO of ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, the scientific director of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Gov Riley and two-year college chancellor, Bradley Byrne. Chancellor Byrne's inclusion obviously raises some eyebrows, since he will likely be Riley's choice as the Republican nominee for governor in 2010. However, the fact that our two-year schools do have a hand in training workers for industry in the state does make his appearance legitimate. There will be dozens of state corporate and economic development officials and staff on hand, some whose expenses will be paid by private dollars and others who will be on the public tab. The event's sponsors represent more than 20 corporate and public entities throughout the state. As ADO Director Neal Wade said: "Business executives who have already experienced the advantages of locating in the state or who have worked with Alabama's economic development team are our most effective ambassadors because they know firsthand the quality of our workforce, the effectiveness of the partnerships we create, the quality of life here, and the many other advantages of being a part of our business community." That's well and good, but why do they have to travel 3,000 miles to learn this information. While I believe that Director Wade does an excellent job and that this event is perhaps worth the cost, I would still like to know how many unnecessary hangers-on will be traveling on your nickel and mine. Treatment of Goff bizarre In my 36 years in Montgomery I've seen a lot and there are only a few things that match the treatment of Montgomery insurance executive Johnny Goff. The State Insurance Department with the aid of people Goff says were trying to shake him down wrecked his company and cost him $30 million. Now the U. S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery, already under a cloud of selective prosecution claims in the Siegelman matter, is investigating him on matters, which appear to have already been resolved. Fortunately for Goff he has street fighters for lawyers and their recent challenges to the way federal prosecutors are investigating him have borne fruit. The Department of Justice in Washington has taken away the decision-making role as to whether or not Golf will be prosecuted from prosecutors in the Middle District of Alabama and placed that decision under officials at Main Justice in Washington. But DOJ has allowed prosecutors in Montgomery to continue their investigation on the ground in Alabama. The department should turn the investigation totally over to outside prosecutors. U. S. Attorney Leura Canary has appropriately stepped aside from the matter, but the entire office should be removed.
Bob Martin, editor and publisher of The Montgomery Independent and a former state official, discloses that he once traveled to Hawaii to a conference on the public's dime, but didn't play golf and stayed in standard hotel room. E-mail him at: bob@montgomeryindependent. com
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
