Lee County, Why Are You So Damn Corrupt?

Under the despotic rule of Chairman Bill English, Lee County has become one of the most if not THE most corrupt counties in Alabama. Nearly opaque in their shocking lack of transparency and refusing accountability at every turn, the Lee County Commission have recklessly pursued a profiteering agenda of selfishly catering to greedy private companies dangling dollars in their face at the expense of its residents. Courageous citizens who have sought to speak truth to power have been shunned and scolded repeatedly by county commissioners who have employed underhanded tactics to silence their voices through banning citizen comments from the livestreams and minutes of county commission meetings.

So what exactly is going on in Lee County? Not much if you went by the ho-hum commission meetings, bought off local newspapers publishing fluff pieces and non-existent coverage by brain dead radio and television stations who pump the area airwaves full of mindless advertising and mainstream media talking points. Let's take for example the ongoing saga of the proposed Shady Grove Granite Quarry to be built on Highway 29 at the outskirts of Opelika near Beulah. April of 2022 was the last major update on the situation, with Chairman English wearing his other hat as Lee County Probate Court Judge to issue a business license for Creekwood Resources, LLC. to move forward with developing the land for use as a quarry. You may want to ask, who is "Creekwood Resources"?

Curiosity is understandable within the labyrinth of lies constructed by the Lee County Commission, however, while you are at it you should also ask who is the Opelika Stone Company, LLC. as well as who is Highway 29, LLC. Blowing in the wind is the answer at least in part is...Cottondale Partners. Or at least it was until Cottondale Partners, previously known as Creekside Resources, laughed all the way to the bank and sold their interest for developing the Lee County property in question later on in 2022 to Arcosa, a multi-billion dollar construction conglomerate based out of Texas which is listed on the lofty New York Stock Exchange. Take a look at some familiar suspects below for a news flash from yesterday's headlines which never made it to print, until now that is;

According to Google, the about page on the Cottondale Partners official website from which this information had been posted to was last updated on May 9th, 2023 so these details are all relatively fresh, new to you and I at least in the face of a local media blackout and a vow of silence conveniently taken by the Lee County Commission. Lies of omission spun in a web of deception by the commissioners and their shadowy private sector cohorts in a parade of nameless, faceless limited liability companies. So what else is old news, you ask?

Are the dots connecting for you yet? According to this job posting, the management position at the newly minted quarry will begin sometime between now and late February of 2024. Remember folks, you heard it here first! Not from that newspaper which is supposed to observe Opelika, the overpriced OA snooze and certainly not from the "public servants" at the Lee County Commission. Don't even bother channel surfing the network affiliates out of Columbus, this revolution will not be televised! Talk radio in Lee County? Nothing but static and white noise courtesy of Hannity's insanity.

Starting to feel like Lee County is really getting screwed hard? Take cold comfort in knowing that your friends at Cottondale Partners are breaking ground another quarry less than two hours east from here in Crawford County, Georgia as of just this past month. Even better, the Crawford County Commission is full of public service sellouts who betrayed their own constituents and voted in favor of approving the quarry against the wishes of thousands of residents. Sounds familiar? Not even a nearby girl scout camp could get in the way of such modern day industrial development! And Lee County was beginning to think it was special, tsk tsk.

Clearly, there are a lot of other questions left to be asked, not just about the quarry but all of the mystery surrounding the titanic garbage racket that the Lee County Commission has painted itself into a corner with. Is former commissioner Robert Ham cashing in on the garbage trucks through a financial interest in the company that owns them and is leasing them to Arrow Disposal Services, Inc.? Talk about turning garbage into gold, no wonder he abstained from that momentous vote!

While we are seeking clarification, what was going on with Chairman English at the August, 28th Lee County Commission meeting? While fruitlessly attempting to clarify the voting record on the noise ordinance violation hearing at the previous August 14th meeting, English made an incoherent effort at insulting his intellectual superior and local legend, John Sophocleus. Snarky ol' English snidely sneered "Mr. Sophocleus, your news article got it wrong!" while he apoplectically bobbed his head and seemed to suffer from several facial ticks. Which article is English referring to? Nobody seems to know, including English, when considering that "Soph" as his compatriots call him has not written on the matter in his Alabama Gazette column nor has he weighed in on the matter in any other publication printed or otherwise. Perhaps Chairman English should first figure out for himself which commissioners voted no on that ordinance before casting stones...just sayin'

If anyone has information on what the status is of any lawsuits seeking to stop the quarry, what article English was on about or who exactly were the 'no' votes on the noise ordinance, please contact the Examiner because we would really LOVE to know. Maybe we can even in turn enlighten the low information voters on the Lee County Commission. Until then, we will keep asking the tough questions such as did all of this Lee County corruption originate with Auburn Mafia Godfather Mike Hubbard? Also, out of the six counties in East Alabama that the Examiner regularly covers why is it that Lee County accounts for nearly all of the corruption reported? Is the sense of entitlement and materialism in Lee County so grave that everyone here believes that they deserve to be a millionaire, by hook or by crook?

Here at the Examiner we are still unpacking the avalanche of revelations coming out of the Smiths Station Fire Protection District, with more bombshells sure to come courtesy of the misadventures of Commissioner Gary Long. Former State Senator John Rice, whose district covered Smiths Station during his tenure, spoke with the Examiner about his having written and passed in 1987 legislation for each and every district in Lee County to vote on whether they would have a fire fee of $25. Senator Rice was adamant that none of the funds could be used for salaries, only equipment and training. His comments expressed high praise for the Smiths Station folks back in the 80s including Ronnie Blankenship who provided great leadership for the fire department at that time. Former Senator Rice is concerned with these current events and perhaps even the way that the new fire district has surpassed their original intent.

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