EDITORIAL
Warning To All Contractors Seeking To Build New Alabama Prisons
By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on February 12, 2017
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on February 12, 2017
Last week, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley reintroduced his massive "Trojan Horse" prison plan to the state legislature for a second straight year. The proposed $800 million bond deal to finance the building of new Alabama prisons is loaded down with graft, cronyism, and potential corrupt government procurement opportunities.
The prison plan requires the state to build three new men's prisons and a new women's prison to replace Julia Tutwiler Prison. The plan also requires legislation authorizing the state to borrow the $800 million for the prison construction projects. The new plan is substantially similar to the one that was killed by the legislature last year. It is expected to pass this legislative session.
Bentley's office has acknowledged that the state will seek proposals for the prison construction projects as opposed to bidding these projects out to the lowest qualified and responsive builder. This approach gives Bentley the greatest flexibility to select the preferred contractor, even if it costs taxpayers more money.
Contractors normally spend enormous time, resources and money preparing proposals for construction projects of this scale and dollar amount. Because a low-dollar bid by a qualified contractor is not the determining factor for winning this lucrative contract award, all proposers will engage "consultants" who are in a position to influence the selection process. They also know that Robert Bentley will make an unsavory deal at the expense of honest government services. After all, they just witnessed a sitting governor buy his way out of a messy criminal investigation by appointing a greedy and selfish former attorney general to the senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions.
Robert Bentley and his married girlfriend, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, are now free to openly resume their "sex for power" affair without any fear of criminal prosecution. Their case has been "fixed".
By her highly visible attendance at the governor's State of the State address last week, Rebekah has also placed all of the power players in Alabama on notice that she is back in play.
Rebekah Mason will surely be a "consultant" of some sort for one of the contractors seeking to build $800 million in new prisons. From what we have heard, Rebekah's compensation package from the contractor with whom she will partner is expected to equal 2% of the aggregate value of the $800 million in design-build contracts, inclusive of a "success bonus". Folks, that's $16 million for "consulting" services rendered by the governor's girlfriend.
Nobody knows Robert Bentley better than Rebekah Mason. She has been with the governor in his most private moments. Rebekah has seen Robert in his boxer shorts and heard him confess his profound "love" for her, over and over again.
My dire warning to interested contractors seeking to build Alabama's new prisons is this: Whichever contractor retains Rebekah Mason as a "consultant" and pays her the exorbitant fees she demands will be the one selected by Robert Bentley to build Alabama's new prisons. All of the others who spend the time, energy and money to submit proposals will be engaging in an exercise in futility.
Rebekah has demonstrated her exceptional consulting skills to Bentley behind closed doors. In return, Bentley has demonstrated his unwavering love for Rebekah, especially when the governor can use other people's money to shower his love and affection upon her.
Like the unsavory deal where unsuspecting and gullible aspirants for Jeff Sessions' senate seat were paraded through the governor's office for meaningless interviews for a job that had already been promised to Luther Strange, the "fix" is also in play on the prison construction projects. This "fix" is even stronger than the one for "Big Luther" because it involves a gigantic financial reward for Rebekah Mason.
State and federal prosecutors will do nothing about this "fix" because they have turned their attention to more pressing matters like fighting "street crime", rounding up and deporting undocumented immigrants, blocking Muslims from entering the United States, and prosecuting low-level Jefferson County officials who do not have leftover campaign funds to defend themselves or coveted political appointments they can trade for freedom from criminal prosecution.
If Rebekah Mason and Robert Bentley are able to pull off their prison plan heist, they will need a much bigger safe deposit box than the secret one the public learned about last year. The take from this "Trojan Horse" scam will be the largest one in Alabama history.
Rebekah Mason and Robert Bentley are not just lovers; they are Alabama's First Couple. And, they are bold, arrogant, modern-day untouchables.
Donald V Watkins
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