Off The Record: The latest rumors and rumblings in Alabama
A sheriff, a lost election, and a foundation that’s raising some eyebrows
OTR is hearing some chatter out of Lee County worth keeping an eye on. Sources say outgoing Sheriff Jay Jones and the deputy who beat him, Cam Hunt, have a complicated history — and that a document making the rounds levels allegations at the “Sheriff’s Foundation” tied to Jones’ office. Per the document, the foundation allegedly has operated out of the Sheriff’s Office building since 2023 and allegedly rebranded under a new name and a new mailing address sometime after the election.
The document also alleges a handful of checks were written to employees around election time, and that at least one recipient asked whether that was allowed. None of it has been proven, and OTR hasn’t independently verified any of it. Jones’ camp reportedly maintains the foundation is a private entity he’s free to run as he sees fit. Take it for what it’s worth – we’re watching to see where this one goes.
The foundation claims (building, rebrand, checks, the recipient’s question) now read as allegations from the document rather than as facts the document happens to report, with a plain “none of it has been proven” line added. Jones’ camp’s position stays “reportedly” since that’s their defense, not an accusation.
Local GOP Dazed & Confused
The Madison County Republican Executive Committee meets regularly all year long, yet a member tells OTR this election season has seemingly snuck up on them. “We have no real plan. Democrats are organized and out in full force, yet we are still debating where to deploy resources, are weak on messaging, and haven’t brought in any new sponsors or large donors to the party apparatus since last election. Most of our money comes from the candidates we are supposed to be supporting.” Given there are 46 more days until the General Election, the GOP elephants may want to get theirs trunks untied.
Liliana Peinder giving major side-eye to John Stuart
In what has become a surprisingly lively City Council race in Alabama’s largest city, all eyes are on South Huntsville. John Stuart finished third in the Aug. 25 District 3 race, leaving incumbent Jennie Robinson and challenger Liliana Peinder to battle it out in the runoff. Now Stuart is backing Robinson, who’s already talking about where to put him to work. Peinder isn’t as charmed. She says Stuart told her he would not endorse either candidate and now accuses him of being “not a man of his word.” Meanwhile, ahead of Tuesday’s vote, OTR hears some local leaders are privately wringing their hands at the thought of possibly losing what they see as a reliable vote in Robinson to an opponent one source close to the city described as “uninformed.”
Decatur, apparently a vacation-home hot spot?
News outlets get plenty of ambitious pitches, but this week brought a particularly impressive attempt to frame vacation homes as eating into the available home supply in Decatur. A national timeshare company informed us that the Decatur metro has 333 “vacation homes,” which sounds downright resort-like until you reach the next line and discover they account for a whopping 0.5% of the area’s housing. With all due respect to our friends in the River City, we’re not sure half a percent warrants sounding the tourism alarm just yet. Decatur has plenty going for it: the Tennessee River, Point Mallard, world-famous barbecue and, lest anyone forget, the riverside factory responsible for filling North Alabama air with the occasional unmistakable whiff of Meow Mix. But if 333 seasonal or occasionally used homes make a vacation-home hot spot, OTR has a timeshare in Morgan County we’d like to sell you.
