For ten years I have been active in politics in Fairhope, as a concerned citizen, with no political ambitions. Countless times I have attended city council meetings requesting information about council or city actions that affect our community, many others have done the same. Not once has the council or the Mayor ever responded, silence is always the answer.
City Hall disguised a multi-million-dollar lawsuit bailout as a public park acquisition to deceive Fairhope taxpayers. Financial ledgers demonstrate how officials drained millions from utility reserves without public oversight or council votes. Uncover the truth behind the biggest financial cover-up in municipal history.
Fly Creek becomes developer's drainage ditch, with Mayor Kant's approval. I really had not planned to write anything negative during Christmas holidays; however Fairhope's Mayor Tim Kant is using the Christmas holidays as an opportunity to deceive the citizens of Fairhope. In an effort to eliminate public participation and use the holidays to limit any notice to the public, Mayor Kant is using his control of planning and zoning to slip in a change of zoning for the Fly Creek PUD, the Publix property.
Mayor Tim Kant stripped away financial checks and balances to treat municipal utility funds like his personal political piggy bank. Bank records expose millions pulled directly from utility reserves to settle legal disasters and fund insider developments. Citizens must demand accountability before these unchecked backroom deals completely bankrupt our city.
Public officials spun a disastrous legal defeat into a victorious land purchase while burying millions in attorney fees. Court records detail how council members rejected cheap early settlements, forcing taxpayers to foot an eleven-million-dollar bill. Discover how local leaders manufactured a massive lie to hide their catastrophic legal blunder.
Municipal leaders repeatedly ignored Fairhope's official master plan to grant illegal favors to political campaign contributors. Planning records reveal a systematic pattern of bypassing public hearings to push through environmentally destructive commercial projects. What good is a master plan when city officials throw it in the trash for their friends?
Fairhope has awarded Senator Pittman, our state representative, approximately 6 lucrative municipal contracts, while he represents us? Currently a member of Fairhope Planning and Zoning is enjoying multiple construction contracts with the city, building sidewalks and renovation on bathrooms on the pier. Our City Council and Mayor see no conflict of Interest. The Soccer Fields Scandal How about this for a conflict of interest, or is it just doing business as usual. The proposed Fairhope soccer fields recently accepted bids for the project. Only ONE bidder submitted a bid, first red flag, for 2 million dollars. Then the council finds out they will need almost 5 million to do the job. Are they going to put it out for re-bid or just work with the lone bidder? How can any municipality accept a single bid for millions of dollars?
A shadow network of political operatives used secretive consulting firms to rig local elections and secure municipal contracts. Corporate filings tie prominent council members directly to engineering firms receiving millions in unbid city work. The Ripp Report pulls back the curtain on Baldwin County's most powerful political machine.
TO: The Alabama Ethics Commission, Hugh Evans presiding FROM: Francis Paul Ripp Dear Sirs and staffers: The Alabama Ethics Commission has become a corrupt political vehicle enabling elected officials to justify their unethical behavior. The AEC has been quoted in numerous media articles supporting the Mayor of Daphne, Baldwin County Commissioners, the Mayor of Fairhope, Senator Lee "Trip" Pittman and let's not leave out Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. All of these elected officials have been involved in situations where public office was used for personal gain.
If you go to the Impressum button on my facebook page, "The Ripp Report," you will read the following: "Corruption has no place in a civilized society." No matter your political or religious beliefs, political corruption destroys our democracy and our community. This particular political corruption needs to be revisited: The April 2010, BP Oil Spill opened a Pandora's Box of political corruption in Fairhope. Our local politicians did not see black, gooey oil that destroys our pristine beaches, sea life and water quality.
