John Archibald says Former Birmingham Water Works Board President’s Sentence a Slap on the Wrist
Alabama Media Group Columnist John Archibald
Sherry Lewis, the former chair of the Birmingham Water Works Board, will not go to prison despite being convicted of two felony ethics charges. A judge sentenced Lewis on Thursday to three years probation, a $30,000 fine and 400 hours of community service. Prosecutors say she used her position to obtain jobs for her son, as well as accepted extravagant meals, travel and football tickets from business executives who had a contract with the board. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald spoke about the case with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
Interview Highlights:
Why he sees the sentence as a slap on the wrist:
“For all intents and purposes, if she minds her Ps and Qs, she’s out. Some people could kind of see the writing on the wall in the first place because when she was initially convicted, the judge said go straight to jail … From the time of her conviction she’s been in jail, which is 22 days. I think that’s what passes for tough on corruption in this day and age.”
How attitudes have changed toward public corruption:
“Certainly in Montgomery and with a lot of politicians there’s a groundswell of concern that the ethics law is too harsh. Frankly, when people start seeing their friends go down, when they start looking at their own behavior and saying that could make me go down, then they’ve started to say this needs to be changed … Just remember that everybody who gets a Birmingham Water Works bill is still paying the price for the [Jefferson County] sewer corruption and will be for 40 years. These things are very tangible to those rate payers, and that’s why it matters.”
What he fears will happen given Alabama’s history of corruption:
“What I think comes next is that the Alabama Supreme Court could either overturn the sentence of [former House Speaker Mike] Hubbard, declare parts of the law unconstitutional and I think they’re trying to find a way to let him go.”
Memory loss: As AI gobbles up chips, prices for devices may rise
Demand for memory chips currently exceeds supply and there's very little chance of that changing any time soon. More chips for AI means less available for other products such as computers and phones and that could drive up those prices too.
Brigitte Bardot, sex goddess of cinema, has died
Legendary screen siren and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at age 91. The alluring former model starred in numerous movies, often playing the highly sexualized love interest.
For Ukrainians, a nuclear missile museum is a bitter reminder of what the country gave up
The Museum of Strategic Missile Forces tells the story of how Ukraine dismantled its nuclear weapons arsenal after independence in 1991. Today many Ukrainians believe that decision to give up nukes was a mistake.
Jeffrey R. Holland, next in line to lead Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 85
Jeffrey R. Holland led the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a key governing body. He was next in line to become the church's president.
Winter storm brings heavy snow and ice to busy holiday travel weekend
A powerful winter storm is impacting parts of the U.S. with major snowfall, ice, and below zero wind chills. The conditions are disrupting holiday travel and could last through next week.
Disability rights advocate Bob Kafka dead at 79
Bob Kafka was an organizer with ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a group which advocates for policy change to support people with disabilities.
