By Thomas Scovill
Senator Pro Tem Del Marsh (RINO, Anniston) is the leader of the Alabama Senate and at his request the Senate Education Committee just approved a partial repeal of the Legislative Double Dipping Prohibition Act. Here is the synopsis of SB414,
“Current law allows a member of the Legislature who was a public employee or teacher on December 1, 2010, to continue in that employment until November 5, 2014. This bill would extend the exemption for continued employment indefinitely.”
Committee chairman Brewbaker says he is opposed to the bill, but apparently not so opposed that he would deny a vote on it or require a roll call vote so we could know where members of the committee stand.
Marsh says it’s not fair to force current double dippers out now because when they ran for office in 2010 double dipping was allowed. How is it not fair when the ban on double dipping was an important part of the 2010 campaign and it was a key element of the much ballyhooed Handshake with Alabama http://www.politicsalabama.org/2010_Republican_Handshake_with_Alabama_Agenda_Monday.pdf
that the GOP used to help them gain control of the legislature and make Del Marsh Pro Tem? It was so important the Legislative Double Dipping Prohibition Act was pushed into law by Pro Tem Marsh in a special session in December 2010 during the month following the GOP election sweep.
Senator Marsh road ethics reform to power. And now sadly he has reconsidered.
Reneging on his Handshake with Alabama is not the beginning of his slide to sleaze. Senator Marsh has been ignoring key provisions of campaign finance reform he also pushed through the 2010 special session by ignoring the $5,000 cap his campaign can contribute to party organizations, by making an illegal $5,000 contribution to Senator Ross’s legal defense fund, and by making an illegal loan of $40,000 to Citizens for Fair Representation.
Senator Marsh has done some great things for Republicans. More importantly he has done some great things for Alabama such as this session’s Alabama Accountability Act. Sadly this good is more than cancelled by his ethics lapses and breaking of promises.
Del Marsh has betrayed the voters and it is now time for the Alabama Senate to select a new Pro Tem.
Below is a list of current double dippers,
Sen. Quinton Ross (D, Montgomery), the director of the Adult Education Consortium at H. Trenholm State Technical College.
Sen. Rusty Glover (R, Semmes), school teacher;
Rep. John Knight (D, Montgomery), a top administrator at Alabama State University;
Rep. Alan Boothe (R, Troy), director of governmental relations for Troy State University;
Rep. Donnie Chesteen (R, Geneva), head football coach and athletic director at Samson High School;
Rep. David Colston, (D, Hayneville), state trooper;
Rep. Todd Greeson (R, Ider), works at Northeast Alabama Community College;
Rep. Dexter Grimsley (D, Newville), chief juvenile probation officer for Henry County;
Rep. John Rogers (D, Birmingham), director of minority affairs for the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
