The Birmingham News continued a months-long series about questionable doings in Alabama’s system of two-year colleges with an article on Sunday about how some colleges have spent almost $2-million on lobbying, in defiance of a 2003 ban on the practice. How did they get around the ban? By simply calling lobbying by another name, such as “consulting, research, grants development, or strategic planning,” the News reported.
What’s more, the newspaper said, most of the lobbyists—or should we call them consultants?—had close ties to college administrators, including Roy W. Johnson, who was ousted this month as chancellor of the system (The Chronicle, July 13).
Other articles by the News have described a bond-issuing deal with a system vice chancellor’s brother, the sweet deals Mr. Johnson enjoyed on his new house, and the surprising number of Mr. Johnson’s family members who have earned wages or contracts from the system.
