Alabama: Bingo trial exposes Legislature's dark side

Bingo trial exposes Legislature's dark side (editorial)
John Peck, The Huntsville Times
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama _ Regardless of the outcome of the public corruption trial in Montgomery, the testimony has exposed a dark side of Alabama politics.

Such revelations help make the public cynical about the Legislature.

Longtime Statehouse watchers may view those disclosures as simply part of the atmosphere in Montgomery.

Friday's proceedings revealed a plan between then-Sen. President Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, and gambling magnate Milton McGregor to feign an angry argument in a plot to "trick" another senator to vote for a bill to expand gambling in Alabama.

In an FBI wiretapped phone call played to jurors, Barron, who had a longstanding feud with then-Sen. Jim Preuitt, D-Talladega, tells McGregor he will pretend to be angry with McGregor so Preuitt will be more inclined to help pass the bill. "Whatever I'm for, Preuitt is going to be against," Barron says in the call. "We need to think of a scheme. You need to start cussing me."

Prosecutors are attempting to prove casino interests tried to expand gambling through cash-for-votes campaign contributions, promises of support for lawmakers' private businesses, and even a plan to offer a female lobbyist a $50,000 bonus to perform a sex act to get Preuitt's vote. Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley dismissed the sex act comment in trial as a joke.

Faked feuds are a common ploy used by legislators to mislead the public.

A Birmingham lawmaker, state Sen. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, revealed that trick once when during House debate on an industry-backed bill he was handling, it began picking up support after initially encountering resistance.

Rogers was railing against the "fat cats" killing his bill - all the while planning to defeat it behind the scenes for his more-favored "fat cat" supporters.

Imagine the surprise of colleagues when Rogers began filibustering his own bill. His co-horts hooted over Rogers' predicament. Unsuspecting citizens in the House gallery must have found it entertaining how a lawmaker could switch positions so quickly on his own legislation.

Other testimony in the public corruption trial revealed how McGregor got information about the gambling bill's outlook from a high-ranking Republican staffer he was paying. Federal prosecutors played a taped conversation between McGregor and Monica Cooper, who at the time was senior adviser to Minority Leader Jabo Wagonner, R-Vestavia Hills. An FBI agent testified that McGregor was paying Cooper $2,000 a month and that she was to relay information from a Republican caucus dinner one night while the legislation was pending.

Another witness, Rep. Barry Mask, R-Wetumpka, revealed a practice among legislators in which he received several thousand dollars a year from lobbyist Steve Windom for referring a client to him who needed help influencing legislation.

The referral fee was yet another way legislators and special interests can become closely entertwined.

The public corruption trial is airing the Alabama Legislature's dirty laundry.

Even if it doesn't produce convictions, perhaps it will help clean up Montgomery just by making the public more aware of the seedier side of lawmaking.