Lobbyists at Center of Scandal

It is fashionable to beat up on politicians as crooks who are just out for themselves. In fact, though, today's public servants are almost certainly more professional, better educated, and more likely to be in politics for the right reason than the politicians of past eras. And, if you look closely, many -- if not most cases of corruption -- are driven less by unethical politicians than the swarms of lobbyists working for deep-pocketed clients that buzz around Congress, state capitals, and city halls. 

The central role of lobbyists in fostering corruption is dramatically underscored by the scandal unfolding in Alabama. In October, federal authorities arrested 11 people who were reportedly involved in efforts to buy votes in the Alabama legislature to expand electronic bingo. Those implicated in the scheme included four legislators -- Larry Means, James Pruiett, Quinton Ross, and Harri Anne Smith; two businessman who stood to benefit from the legislation, Milton McGregor and Ronald Gilley; and four lobbyists, Jarrod D. Massey, Thomas E. Coker, Robert B. Geddie Jr., and Jennifer D. Pouncy.

All of the defendents were involved in wrongdoing, but it was the lobbyists who served as the crucial intermediaries for arranging the bribes. The bribes included an explicit promise of $2 million in campaign donations for Senator James Pruiett and $100,000 for Senator Means. 

It is not hard to see how lobbyists could end up at the center of such a sensational corruption scandal. Their job is to please whoever is paying their bills, they lubricate the public sector with boatloads of money, and they operate in a world in which quid pro quo deals are made all the time trading votes for various favors. 

It should be noted that a lobbyist, Al LaPierre, was also at the center of the bribery scandal that brought down Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford in 2008. LaPierre was the intermediary who arranged for an investment banker named Bill Blout to bribe Langford to get investment business. 

Big money is pure poison for our electoral system. And those who deliver the checks can be toxic as well. 

This week Jarrod D. Massey, pleaded guilty in the case. He faces years in prison time. Also this week, Governor Bob Riley signed a new ethics bill into into law. Let's hope it has a positive effect. 

Alabama Massey Statement of Fact

Fallen Mayor Langford Still Denies Everything

It is bad enough to betray the public interest. But it is even worse if you never apologize or admit that you did anything. It suggests arrogance and indifference to the damage you have caused. 

Case in point: Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford. 

Langford presided over an empire of greed as Mayor of Birmingham, diverting public resources away from crucial public need for his own uses. He was convicted in October 2009 on 60 federal charges that included conspiracy, bribery, money laundering, and filing false tax returns. He had faced 101 charges and you can read the exhaustive indictment against Langord here. 

This was a remarkably corrupt public official and he was rightly sentenced to 15 years in prison. “The sentence imposed today should say to all public officials that selling their position of trust to buy a lavish personal lifestyle will lead them to the prison door,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Phillip Phillips. “Larry Langford placed his vanity and greed above the financial well-being of Jefferson County and helped bring it to the edge of financial ruin. The taxpayers of Jefferson County will continue to suffer from the corrupt acts of Langford and his cohorts.”

But what does Langford have to say about all this now, from prison: "A lie put me in here." Presumably, he meant to use the plural, given the 60 counts he was convicted on. After his conviction, Langford had blamed the media for his conviction. 

One footnote about the Langford case worth noting: the Mayor didn't do any of his misdeeds alone. He was aided, as is so typically the case, for self-interested individuals in the private sector who exploited Langford's greed for their own ends. These individuals included lobbyist Al LaPierre (there is always a lobbyist involved), and an investment banker Bill Blount, who was anxious to get his hands on the county's bond business. Blout and LaPierre were both sentenced to four years in prison.