Posted on 07/08/2007 8:07:21 PM PDT by LdSentinal
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Former Secretary of State Nancy Worley, who spent four years as Alabama's chief election official, is scheduled for trial Monday on charges of violating the election laws she was supposed to administer.
Worley faces felony and misdemeanor charges for sending campaign letters, campaign contribution envelopes and bumper stickers to five of her employees in the secretary of state's office.
Defense attorney James Anderson said the attorney general's office has a weak case. "They are pushing it. The only thing that mentioned money was the envelope that was enclosed," he said. Chris Bence, spokesman for Attorney General Troy King, said Worley's letters to her employees "are pretty powerful" evidence and a Montgomery County grand jury agreed when it indicted her.
"Had Ms. Worley not sent the letters, she would not be where she is today," he said. Worley, 55, has labeled her indictment "totally political." Anderson said the Republican attorney general investigated Worley for months, but only sought the indictment shortly after Worley was elected vice chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.
"I think it was to make the Democratic Party look bad," he said. "All of that is absurd," Bence said. He said King's staff began to review the case based on a complaint filed by one of Worley's fellow Democrats. In April 2006, Worley sent letters on campaign stationery to employees in the secretary of state's office. The letters sought the employees' "support and vote" in the Democratic primary on June 6.
Worley was being opposed in that primary by one of her employees, Ed Packard. In the letter, Worley said, "I will be honored if you will attach the enclosed bumper sticker to your vehicle's bumper or rear window." She also wrote that "if you choose to support another candidate, you have every right to make that decision without any problems from me."
Worley's campaign contribution envelope had boxes where contributors could mark off donations ranging from $25 to $1,000. Packard complained to King's office, which reviewed the matter and took it to a grand jury after Worley had lost the November general election to Republican Beth Chapman.
The grand jury indicted her on five felony charges of using her official position to influence the vote or political action of five employees in her office. It also indicted her on five misdemeanor charges of soliciting a campaign contribution from five employees. If convicted, the felony charges carry up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
The misdemeanors carry up to one year in jail and a $6,000 fine. Circuit Judge Truman Hobbs Jr. has scheduled the trial for Monday, although he has warned both sides it could be delayed until later in the week because of other pending cases. Anderson said Worley's case shouldn't be difficult to try.
"It gets down to what is solicitation?" he said. He said some of Worley's employees had asked her about helping with her campaign, and she wrote the letter to let workers know, while assuring them they had no reason to fear repercussions. Packard said what Worley did goes against the candidate handbook she published as secretary of state.
That handbook says: "It is unlawful for any state officer or employee to solicit any type of political campaign contribution from employees under his or her supervision. Such supervisors are also not allowed to coerce any subordinate employees into working in any political campaign or cause." Packard said Worley should have known better than to send the letters. "She was the chief election official," he said.
Well, we're putting them in jail as fast as we can...honest
But, but.....Democrats are as pure as new, driven snow....right?
Thanks, I needed that.
Democrats pure as the driven snow!
Yeah, and I got the Title to the Golden Gate Bridge in a box of Cracker Jacks last week too.
Damn good start!
Nancy Worley hasn’t had too many reasons to smile since her 2002 election. The Secretary of State’s office usually flies under the radar, but during Worley’s tenure the office has been involved in one controversy after another. From the purchase of a Ford Expedition for official use, to her bickering with county registrars, to the recent Worley/Diebold debacle, the once sleepy office of the Secretary of State is now ground-zero for political squabbling.
State Rep. Leslie Vance (D) introduced a bill to strip her office of its control of registrars. State House Democratic Leader Ken Guin has said, “There is a problem in the secretary of state’s office. They have the poorest people skills of any agency in the state,”.
If that photo above is Worley, then I’d say she hasn’t had too many reasons to smile . . . period.
Nancy Worley, a veteran educator of 25 years, teaching English and Latin, Worley sponsored cheerleaders
Worley was elected statewide and served two terms as President of the Alabama Education Association (1983-1984, 1995-1997), four terms on the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee, twice as State President of the Association of Classroom Teachers, President of the Decatur Education Association
works with retired educators in an eight-county district with The Alabama Retired Teachers’ Association and the Alabama Education Association.
Nancy Worley Gaffe - 6/5/2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWwqbgR5H3s
on October 6 that the judge overseeing the case has asked Worley why he shouldn’t hold her in contempt:
U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins ordered Worley Friday to respond to a report filed earlier by Riley’s attorney that said Worley had refused to cooperate with a committee set up by Riley to manage development of the voter registration system. In the report, Riley’s legal adviser Ken Wallis said Worley had indicated she would only deal directly with the governor and not with individual members of the governor’s committee.
Watkins said he would consider Worley’s response and comments from Riley and then decide if the secretary of state should be held in contempt of court.
“In making her responses to the court, defendant Worley is advised not to parse the words of the orders of this court, nor to test the court’s willingness to utilize its contempt powers,” Watkins said in a sternly worded three-page order.
I’m shocked (not). I had some dealings with her asking for a paltry favor and she wasted more time corresponding with me in email refusing to do it, issuing some of the most ridiculous excuses, which could’ve taken her but a moment to have done... (mean-spirited comes to mind).
In any event, the reason this big fat Mama Cass tub o guts got elected in the first place was because the GOP primary contestants got into a very public brutal battle that was a sideshow, the ultimate nominee couldn’t recover, and she rode that to victory. Fortunately we got a grown-up this time around, and she got properly thrashed.
Lynda Hairston, Chairman of the Madison County Board of Registrars, stated to the Madison County Commission in Huntsville this week that Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley instructed registrars at a regional meeting of North Alabama registrars to issue voter registration cards to legal and illegal aliens even if they check the “not a citizen” box on the voter registration form provided the prospective registrant also signed the registration form at the bottom. According to Madison County Registrars, Secretary of State Worley instructed registrars to make no futher inquiry about citizenship.
So the “Culture of Corruption” that the Democrat assailed the GOP over was just another bumpersticker slogan.
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