By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Five hours after alreporter.com reported that Ethics Commission Vice Chair V. Larkin Martin had not filed her required Statement of Economic Interests, the Commission announced Martin had tendered her resignation.
An investigative story of this nature required many phone calls, aggressively following leads and facts, and exposing the coming report to many different individuals.
Martin, who for six months failed to report her Statement of Economic Interests, suddenly filed it at 5:26:34 PM, on Saturday, December 26. An email to alreporter.com from the Ethics Commission states, Martin resigned her position on Sunday, December 27.
Martin’s sudden filings and resignation just hours before our publication has raised more than a few eyebrows.
How Martin was allowed to serve six months as Vice Chair of the Commission without filing the required paperwork is the bigger question.
Alabama Code Section 36-25-17 (a): Concerning reports of violations; cooperation of agency heads, states, “Every governmental agency head shall within 10 days file reports with the commission on any matters that come to his or her attention in his or her official capacity which constitute a violation of this chapter.”
Under this statute, Ethics Director Tom Albritton would be required to notify the Commission of Martin’s failure to file her Statement of Economic Interests within 10 days after the form was due.
Several individuals speaking on background said that Albritton was aware that Martin didn’t file, but did not act in a timely manner.
Commissioner Judge Jerry Fielding said Albritton never informed him that Martin had not filed the necessary paperwork. While Judge Fielding praised Martin’s work on the Commission, he was troubled by the news of her failure to comply with State law.
Why would Albritton withhold this information and not comply with the statue concerning violations and cooperation of agency heads?
While the law is clear, Martin’s last-minute filing before her abrupt resignation, and Albritton’s failure to inform the Commission as required under law, leaves numerous questions unanswered.
