Worley Watch: "a 39-cent stamp would do just as well"

The Mobile Press-Register reported over the weekend about Nancy Worley's delays in paying counties back for the voting equipment they purchased this year.

It turns out that The Tuscaloosa News had the same issue in mind. It reported on Sunday that Bibb County submitted its claim for reimbursement on June 8th but still has not seen any check from Worley.

Mark Tyner, the Bibb County administrator, said the delay in being reimbursed may cause the county's general fund to go dry by the end of September. According to the article:

Tyner said the county has a line of credit that could be tapped to prevent the general fund from running on empty, but that would cost money to repay.

"As small a county as we are anyway things are awfully tight at the end of the year and it makes it difficult for us," Tyner said. Worley has been hand-delivering checks to counties as she drives around the state. Tyner said a 39-cent stamp would do just as well.

"We would be glad to see our check in the mail and the sooner the better," he said.

Opining on another issue of travel costs, even Worley's hometown paper, The Decatur Daily, questioned the practice of public officials traveling around the state to hand out checks:

Public officials also travel out of Montgomery to hand out money. Lester Sellers, legislative chairman of the Alabama Association of Boards of Registrars, filed an ethics complaint against Secretary of State Nancy Worley. It accuses her of traveling at state expense to present checks to counties so they can buy voting equipment, and of using these events to get publicity for herself.

Creditors wince when they hear "The check’s in the mail," but it ought to delight taxpayers when it staves off unnecessary travel.