By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Monday, May 9, Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler (R) responded to an op-ed that Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) wrote for the Alabama Media Group.
Auditor Zeigler said, “I am having real trouble reconciling Gov. Bentley’s invoking of scripture with his deeds.”
Gov. Bentley wrote to the people of Alabama over the weekend: “I believe – I know – in my heart that I am serving out God’s purpose for my life, and that He placed me here to work for you and to solve the problems that have held our state back for decades. The Lord gave me a job to do, and I always want to work it with all my might. And that takes vision.”
Auditor Zeigler responded, “I wish he would read the verses about: Confession. Repentance. Be sure your sins will find you out. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. Thou shalt not covet.”
Governor Bentley claimed, “Last August, while most of the attention in our state’s capital city was focused on the upcoming second Special Session and looming budget crisis, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Col. Jeff Dunn came to me with an idea. He shared with me a vision for solving Alabama’s lingering, dangerous and expensive prison overcrowding problem. What Col. Dunn had, though, was more than an idea, it was a solid solution to a problem that has plagued Alabama for decades, and a daunting task that neither a Legislature nor a Governor has yet to tackle. The plan to construct new prisons, and close and consolidate old and expensive facilities has become a part of our overall long-term vision for the state of Alabama.”
After the ambitious bill failed in the 2016 regular session, Auditor Zeigler said in a statement: “The bill was poorly written. The idea of one gigantic contract was bad. Alabama citizens and many officials did not have confidence in the Bentley administration to handle this huge project without shenanigans.”
Gov. Bentley claimed that the Alabama Department of Corrections could find the $50 million a year in their budget to service the $800 million loan by making the prisons more efficient.
Zeigler said, “Almost no one believed that four large prisons would produce $50 million a year in operational savings in order to pay for the bond issue.”
Gov. Bentley wrote, “The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” When you elected me to serve as your Governor in 2010 and again in 2014, I told you I had no intention of being a ‘caretaker’ Governor.”
On Monday, May 9, Gov. Bentley announced that he was endorsing the presumptive Republican nominee for President, New York City billionaire businessman and reality TV star, Donald Trump.
Zeigler responded, “I wish Donald Trump would reject and disavow Bentley’s endorsement. That would be a bold Trump move.”
