Alabama Power is withdrawing from the Business Council of Alabama “effective immediately” amid concerns over leadership. A spokesman for Alabama Power told WBHM there are questions surrounding the organization’s effectiveness. Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite said in a letter BCA has alienated federal and state officials, failed to communicate with its members, and allowed the BCA’s financial health to decline.
Crosswhite went on to say in the letter first published by Alabama Political Reporter that the BCA has become a divisive force in the state. A spokesman for Alabama Power declined to comment further.
BCA Chairman Perry Hand responded to Crosswhite in a letter Monday calling Crosswhite’s letter “extremely disappointing.” Hand acknowledged Alabama Power voiced several concerns in the past about the organization’s leadership. His letter noted Crosswhite’s “list of demands”–including Hand’s removal as president and CEO — to be fulfilled under deadlines Hand characterized as unreasonable. “I have worked to find areas of compromise, but you have made it clear that compromising is not an option,” Hand wrote.
Hand said he the group plans to have a new CEO by January.
The Business Council of Alabama was founded in 1985. It bills itself as the voice for Alabama’s business community and is Alabama’s affiliate to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. The group lobbies state lawmakers and members of Congress on issues ranging from infrastructure investments to education reform.
Hand said Alabama Power hasn’t been a member of the BCA since April due to nonpayment of dues.