Dean, others deny impropriety
between fundraising, debt relief
By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean promised $200,000 in public money toward paying off a debt incurred privately by 10 south Mobile County men "if we can get him re-elected," according to a fund-raising letter written by a Dean supporter to the guarantors of the loan.
"Mike has committed to allocate $50,000 for each of the four years he remains in office ... if we can get him re-elected!" states Allen Horn in the letter. "This (may) pay off the entire debt of the (Alma Bryant High School) Field House and put a major dent in the Kickin Cane Building debt. Guys, it's time for us to step up to the plate and support him financially. I am asking each of you to make a $1,000 donation to his campaign."
About 10 men co-signed a loan from Bank Trust to build an athletics' field house at the high school in Irvington several years ago.
Both Dean and Horn denied any impropriety, maintaining that Dean's help in paying off the field house loan was not conditioned on contributions to the commissioner's re-election campaign by the loan's co-signers.
"No (there was no understanding that campaign contributions would be given in exchange for county funds to help retire the debt)," said Dean. "He sent the letter four or five months ago. I knew Allen was going to write the letter last year. I try to help Coden and Bayou La Batre regardless of whether they vote for me. I try to help the school. I thought this would be a good gesture to do. I try to cooperate. I try to help everybody in the south part of the county as best I can."
"If it's a crime to support somebody who supports our community, then I plead guilty," said Horn. "I'm not hiding. I'm proud that Mike Dean supports our community which has so many needs. The letter I wrote was not at Mike's request. As a voter, I have a moral obligation to support people like Mike."
Speaking hypothetically and not specifically about Dean and the Alma Bryant Field House, Alabama Ethics Commission Director Jim Sumner said, "Public office holders make commitments all the time and it's obviously contingent on being re-elected. A promise is not something you take to the bank, in reality, because you may not be re-elected. As far as the ethics law is concerned, the officeholder would have to be using his position to benefit himself. Clearly, that is not happening in the situation as you've described it. Otherwise, it's just a political promise or commitment."
An incumbent Republican, Dean is seeking re-election to the District 3 commission seat representing south and west Mobile County. He is being opposed in the GOP primary in June by west Mobile businessman John Graham. There is no announced Democratic candidate for the seat.
In his Sept. 27, 2007 letter to "Note Guarantors, Field House," Horn detailed efforts to retire the loan, including appropriations spearheaded by Dean and former state Sen. Gary Tanner as well as other fundraising efforts.
"... Dean has already given us $50,000 which was applied to the principal," Horn wrote. "He has on the second week of October commission agenda another $50,000 for the Field House! This will also be applied to the principal."
In November, the county commission approved a $50,000 appropriation to the South Mobile County Education Foundation, Inc. "to be applied to the debt on the Alma Bryant High School Field House and class room building."
Horn's letter pointed out that Dean also arranged for $5,000 to the Kickin Cane building fund, $5,000 to the Top-of-the-Hill arts program and $2,500 to the Boat People SOS to implement an English Second Language program for workforce development/retraining for Asian and Spanish speaking residents of the Bayou La Batre area.
Horn wrote that Dean's support should not be interpreted as "trying to buy our votes."
Horn also advised the letter's recipients that they could contribute to Dean's campaign through a political action committee if they did not want to be publicly identified as a Dean backer.
For those enduring "trying financial times," Horn suggested a $500 contribution in lieu of the $1,000 donation.
Dean's political/media consultant Jon Gray said he deals with campaign finance almost daily and Dean's activities did not violate ethical or legal rules.
"Mike was not the only one (contributing discretionary dollars to paying off the loan)," said Gray, mentioning Tanner and state Rep. Spencer Collier as others who have helped in paying down the field house loan.
Both Gray and Dean emphasized that the field house was just one of many community endeavors that benefited from the commissioner's discretionary account. Dean said he had also financially assisted Theodore High School, Alba Middle School and B.C. Rain High School to name a few.
"If I do something for you or your community and you really appreciate it and support my re-election, that's not illegal," said Gray. "That's how politics is supposed to work. There was no quid pro quo."
"Mike didn't know anything about the letter," said Gray. "Mike helped out, but he did not help that group any more than others."
Dean said the county commission has a formal process for dispersing discretionary monies.
"When people put in a request for money, the whole commission approves it," he said. "There is an application and due process. I definitely think this is a good cause to help that program at Alma Bryant High School. I want to help in the future. I'm going to continue to help them as long as I'm their commissioner.
"I didn't write the letter. I probably would've written it a little different. I'm just glad they want to support a commissioner who tried to help them. (State Rep. Spencer) Collier and (former state Sen. Gary) Tanner helped them, too. A lot of elected officials helped that school down there. They've been through a lot in the last three years. I thought it was the right thing to do. I try to help people on a lot of projects throughout the county. I want to be on record that I want to help as long as we follow due process, the county grant process, and that's what we do."
"I don't even know if I won last time in Bayou La Batre, but I ended up continuing to support their efforts in Bayou La Batre and I want to continue to support the Bayou La Batre community whether I get their vote or not," said Dean.
"When this field house was built, 10 of us signed a guarantee," Horn said. "We sought and received money from a number of politicians' discretionary accounts. Mike has not only given to the field house, he's given money to the arts program that's won national awards; he's given money to the Kickin Cane Dance Studio that encourages young girls to stay in school and maintain their grades; and to the Mobile Community Action for relocating five Asian families in need. And it's not just Bryant High School. There's Theodore, too. He's helped the community center in Grand Bay, the community center in Coden. To me, you have to be an idiot not to ask people to support somebody who has helped the community. In politics, it's not just talking, it's doing that counts. I'm not embarrassed."
"If I've been overzealous in my support of Mike, I'm not ashamed of it whatsoever," said Horn. "He's helped so many children."
Horn pointed out that none of the loan's co-signers had children at Bryant.
"Absolutely (no ties between the county funds to retire the debt and campaign contributions to Dean from the men on the note)," said Horn. "Mike did not promise us anything. That was a misstatement on my part (if the letter implied a direct linking of campaign contributions to Dean's use of public funds to pay off the contributors' bank loan)."
Although he couldn't recall everyone who signed the loan guarantee, Horn said the list included in addition to himself, Randy and Clyde Collins, Joe E. Ladnier, Wayne Eldridge, Joey Rodriguez and Freddy Marceaux.
"I thought they needed to be aware of Mike's support and it costs money to run a political campaign," said Horn. "His opponent is raising all the money he can. Some of the guarantors are even supporting Mike's opponent. There's nothing clandestine. I wrote the letter and I signed it. He's helped us with the debt. Since the hurricane our community has been devastated. We don't own the building. I don't know that anybody on the note has a child at Bryant. There's nothing in it for us individually or personally. If I've overstepped my bounds, I apologize. I'll continue to support Mike with vigor, not because of some promises but because of what he's done."
