They’re gone. Here in Montgomery only the bars, hotels and eateries will miss the mass of legislators and the lobbyists with their satchels full of cash. The rest of us can breathe easier since the streets will be a bit safer.

Although cash passes hands here on a regular basis, past legislatures have generally deemed holding fundraisers during the sessions in Montgomery to be a bit unseemingly. Many not involved the legislative process believe such a practice to be outright slimy.

Well, that didn’t deter the current bunch camped out on Goat Hill from breaking away early on a recent afternoon for a House Republican fundraiser. I am told the event whose major sponsors included a platinum sponsor, Alabama Asphalt Pavement Association; and eight gold sponsors; the Alabama Association for Justice, Alabama Association of Realtors, Alabama Bankers Association, Alabama Farmers Federation/ALFA Insurance, Alabama Nursing Home Association, Alabama Retail Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, U.S. Steel; and 32 lobbying entities paying a lesser amount, raised over a $100,000 dollars.

The House Republican Conference is under no legal obligation to disclose the donors and has not publicly done so. Sources, however, easily determined who footed the bill.

Gov. Robert Bentley has called this year’s session of the Alabama Legislature the best session ever. But then he changed his tune, suggesting that the session’s most touted piece of piece of legislation ... the Accountability Act, was not that great after all. Now he wants to delay implementing the major parts of it for two years.

Prior to the final day of the session this past Monday, the conventional wisdom was that an attempt to amend the bill would tie up most of the final day, if not kill the entire final hours. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh however indicated last weekend that he will allow the original bill, passed early in the session, to remain in force and will not bring up the governor’s amendment. We shall see if that became a reality.

State needs political balance

When at age 23 I ran for a state legislative seat in Lauderdale County in 1966 there were a few Republicans around, but no real organized party. So even though I had supported and voted for Barry Goldwater for President two years earlier, my only choice to have a real chance of winning was to seek election as a Democrat.

So I did and ended up in a runoff for the Democratic nomination. I lost, but by only a 210 vote margin out of over 12,000 votes cast in the race. By virtue of the fact that there were no Republican candidates, the Democrat won by default.

Over the years I have come to believe there should be a viable two party system in Alabama. This has gradually taken place over the last few decades but has now moved to the other extreme. Today, the Republican Party is dominate in a majority of Alabama jurisdictions, controls the Legislative Branch, the elected state judiciary and the executive. The democrats are in disarray.

My thinking remains the same as it did many years ago; so I believe, particularly after watching this past legislative session, we need to return to some degree of political balance, particularly in the legislature and the judiciary. However, I don’t see that as a reality in the near future. As to the judiciary, the most prudent action we could take would be to remove party politics entirely. Judges should not wear party labels or any label for that matter. If we continue electing them, it should be on a non-partisan ballot.

Three to seek Secretary of State Post

Former Montgomery Probate Judge Reese McKinney is expected to seek the Republican nomination for Secretary of State. McKinney is the third person to announce an interest in this position, currently held by Beth Chapman, who is term limited and does not plan to seek any other office next year.

McKinney served as probate judge for two terms from 1996 to 2012. Other candidates expected to seek the GOP nomination are Rep. John Merrill of Tuscaloosa and Crenshaw County Probate Judge Jim Perdue, who recently made the switch from a Democrat to a Republican.

Bob Martin is editor and publisher of The Montgomery Independent. Email him at: bob@montgomeryindependent.com