Why is Alabama so corrupt?
Because all the Alabama government agencies or elected officials refuse to do their jobs.
Alabama has all the mechanisms to expose corruption and jails for those convicted. In Alabama we have Alabama Corruption Insurance. It is available to all elected officials. From Sheriff Dept. to City Council, Judges, Mayors, Circuit and District Courts.
The Insurance is free and provided by the same parties that are suppose to protect itโs constituents, citizens of the State. The Governor, Attorney general, The Judiciary, The Bar Association and of course the major provider, Alabama Ethics Commission.
Fill out the complaint forms go through the complaint procedure with any of the above and you have a 98% chance that the Alabama Corruption Insurance will put your complaint in the trash.
The Alabama Ethics Commission provides a process of requesting a formal advisory opinion. If you, as an elected official receive an opinion from the ethics commission, that is favorable, then you have โprotection from prosecutionโ. However if you lie on the request but were given an opinion, you still are immune from prosecution.
The Alabama Ethics Commission aids and abets political corruption by providing the get out of jail card via the Alabama Corruption Insurance. In its present form the ethics commission will insure and maintain Alabamaโs top spot in political corruption.
Political Corruption flourishes in Alabama because no accountability exists. From the smallest of municipalities to the largest cites in Alabama. Corruption is a daily battle.
Columbia, Alabama is embroiled in โalleged corruptionโ. The complaints have been filed against the Mayor and Chief of Police. These complaints from a concerned citizen, and supported by others, have been filed with the Attorney General and the Ethics Commission. The evidence provided to the Ripp Report is extensive and compelling.
The Columbia City Council has failed to recognize their oath of office and ethics requirement, that they report any action that may be illegal. The Police Chief, Council, and Mayor are banking on Alabama Corruption Insurance, so they see no need to explain anything.
What about the Dothan Eagle, WDHN, or Ricky Stokes? Where is the news coverage?
Where is the โTransparency and Accountabilityโ that every news agency and politician professes to have? Columbia is a small municipality roughly 800 citizens, so the allegations are well known in the community.
Columbia is a classic case of how small time corruption and abuse of power exists throughout Alabama and becomes the norm, all while the citizens bite their lips.
Mobile, Jefferson County, Bay Minette and Fairhope, especially Fairhope all have the same Alabama Corruption Insurance, that has covered their asses too long.
Columbia residents should pay attention to the complaints and attend the council meeting and demand answers.
Do not allow those responsible to cop out by saying they are awaiting for a response from the Ethics commission.
If complaints are not investigated and no transparency or accountability is applied to the complaints then the corruption will fester. The complaints against the police chief should be vetted in council chambers where citizens can be made aware of the issues, such as abuse of power and position. The same with the โabuse of public fundsโ leveled at the Mayor.
Columbiaโs โallegedโ corruption shares the same similarities in that the Judges, Mayor, Council and police are sharing the same small bed. The media is absent because someone may be a friend of the Mayor or the subject of political corruption is to sensitive. Or they are to damn lazy to research the allegations.
That is why Political Corruption grows in Alabama like Kudzu.
The Ripp Report has enclosed just one of the complaints filed in Columbia:
Concerned Citizen
FYI
Did you know that Ben Freeman (Columbia’s local municipal prosecutor & the town’s lawyer) was the personal lawyer for Lori Mock (Columbia Officer Jim Mock’s wife) and recently defended her. This fact was recently revealed. Isn’t that a conflict of interest, being that officer Mock is a Columbia Police officer? So now, not only do we have an ethical issue of Ben Freeman being the son of the mayor, the personal lawyer for the chief of police and having documented (by bankruptcy court records) loans with the mayor of Columbia and his mother-in-law (Senior Center Director), but now we have him representing police officer Mock’s wife. I know that the Alabama Bar Association was contacted (by complaint). To my knowledge, nothing was done. Can you say cronyism and conflict of interest?
Let’s not forget the mayor giving out illegal work to her crony friends, including her live in boy friend. Let’s not forget about about the mayor loaning out town equipment (fork lift) to the same crony friend. Let’s not forget the free water (no account setup) to this same crony friend. Let’s not forget this same crony friend delivers water melons to the town hall as a gift to the mayor. Let’s not forget that the mayor instructs town employees to illegally mow private property, including the aforementioned crony friend’s private property. Let’s not forget the town’s property that the mayor illegally gave to an individual. Let’s not forget the illegal hams the mayor has been giving to the employees. Let’s not forget the flowers and gifts to citizens and herself using tax payer money. Let’s not forget that the council has knowledge of all the aforementioned and has chosen to remain silent. Remember it is not me saying all this…rather the documents say it!
Can you say buying votes? Can you say using the office of mayor for personal gain? Can you say ethics violations galore? Can you say felony theft of property?
Let’s not forget!
The Ripp Report has filed complaints with every agency in the state over the last 12 years and no complaint saw the light of day. I know lawyers and even a judge that have had the same experience. Not until the Feds step in and people are sent to jail on felony charges will anything change.
The Ripp Report will follow up on Columbia and let ya know if anything comes of the complaints or if they fall in the dark hole of Alabama Corruption Insurance.
Below are past articles addressing the same Political Corruption that keeps Alabama number one. Who is ultimately responsible ? YOU.
โBefore you answer โ before your tribalism shines through and you pull on the Republican jersey and start chanting for your favorite team โ letโs run through a few things. โ
Opinion | Politicians didn’t corrupt Alabama’s government. You did.
โQuite frankly, itโs been pretty sticky, especially states like Alabama,โ he said. โOnce a state becomes corrupt, it stays corrupt for a while.
https://yellowhammernews.com/alabama-leads-nation-political-corruption-new-study-shows/
โAlabama State Representative Mike Ball proposed an ethics bill as a check and balance for prosecutors. The republican said he introduced the bill, AL HB179, as a tweak to the stateโs ethics reform of 2010. Part of the bill would force district attorneys and Alabamaโs Attorney General Office to get the approval of the Alabama Ethics Commission before prosecuting elected officials for corruption.โ
Columbia you got problems but that pretty little town on the bay, Fairhope, aka Fauxhope, aka No hope, has you beat, they have made political corruption a cottage industry.
Pastor Chris Bell 3 Circle Church:
“People see Fairhope as a flourishing utopia where people build bigger and bigger houses, with a boat, the perfect kids and the perfect life. Fairhopeโs prosperity and perfect surface is a veneer that covers deeper problems. But there is something darker underneath the veneer. Under the surface of Fairhope, more families struggle than we want to admit or imagine. Some people are hurting, getting left behind and forgotten.”
I was charged with a Felony charges for something I’ve didn’t no that what I have someone said I did can’t hardly remember what when on on this matter but was charged because my Lawyer said I needed to do
This is all being stirred up by a ex bitter council member who lost the election and the disgruntled ex wife of the chief of police whoโs boyfriend was stopped by an officer of Columbia PD. The man had active warrants , a suspended license, numerous prescription pill bottles prescribed to other people, marijuana and a pistol with no gun permit in which was registered to someone else. Since the stop the ex wife has tried making allegations that he was set up due to the police chief being her ex husband. The police chief was off duty when the stop took place. Also the ex council member and ex wife work together at the city of Dothan. Since the election and the stop of her boyfriend they have conspired together to slander the mayor Rhonda Freeman and the police chief Philip Killingsworth along with a few others. They have went through great lengths to try and do harm where no harm has been done. If all of the above concerns posted were true why didnโt the ex council member do something about it while still being an elected official? All you have here is a bitter ex council member who canโt take a loss and a bitter ex wife who wants to cover up her boyfriends wrong doings by blaming someone else. Which Columbia isnโt the first police department theyโve tried to bash on media outlets after the boyfriend got charges in anotherthe town as well. It’s all false allegations being made against the mayor of Columbia and the chief police. The local news media stations haven’t offerred to touch it because they have learned it’s false information. That’s why the culprits are now turning to any social platform they can to keep their harrassement going.
The allegations were presented to council members, they choose to do nothing. Stop shooting the messenger and look at the message. The allegations are supported with documents, who filed the allegations is not important what is important is that they be investigated. If the allegations are false, then so be it, if they are true then someone needs to be accountable.
Posted by fake site
The results of sleeping (or texting) through freshman English…and sophomore…and junior…and senior English, too.
time to move
If you REALLY want full corruption insurance coverage go get an AG opinion.
No Shit He does not even answer complaints.
As a state opinion we have to go online and watch a video from the AL Ethics Commission. The online presentation is a joke. The ethics laws are so convoluted that they actually protect the corrupt politicians
Al Ethics watches over ethics as well as a prostitute watches over her virginity