|  JSU is a public university, so you would expect their administrative policies to be bipartisan, nonpartisan, right down the middle, "party" blind or whatever. Apparently reality falls far short of the ideal.
Yes, these signs look pretty partisan to me, but what's worse is the administration at JSU doesn't afford the Democratic candidate anything like this kind of access to the campus, let alone a fancy billboard. And since the special election is next Tuesday, keeping one candidate off campus for a couple of weeks lends the other a huge advantage ... not even counting the free billboard. The Alabama Democratic Party demands the immediate resignation of Don Killingsworth, director of Government Relations at Jacksonville State University, and calls for the cancellation of a planned political rally after a blatant display of partisanship on what Killingsworth himself termed a "no electioneering" campus. The University is displaying on the prominent electronic billboard in front of campus an advertisement touting a political rally for Republican candidate K.L. Brown, violating state law and promoting flagrant favoritism using taxpayer dollars Several weeks ago, Killingsworth was personally responsible for forcibly removing a Ricky Whaley volunteer and a student at a JSU basketball game with campus police. Killingsworth adamantly stated JSU would be closed to all political activity and threatened the volunteer with immediate arrest if he stepped on campus again. After inquiring as to where and how on-campus organizing could be accomplished, the Democratic Party was told that a permit would be required and a “free speech zone” would be assigned. Now having received photographs of the electronic billboard and the blatant promotion of a partisan event this morning, the Alabama Democratic Party demands the cancellation of this partisan rally and calls for the immediate resignation of Killingsworth due to his obvious actions on behalf of one particular candidate over another using taxpayer dollars. "After receiving word that Ricky Whaley volunteers had been ousted from campus, I spoke with Don Killingsworth personally, who unequivocally stated JSU would be a 'no campaign zone'. Yet this morning, students, faculty, and visitors arrived on campus to find the University using its biggest electronic billboard to advertise a political rally for Brown on campus, with Governor Bob Riley as the headline speaker," said ADP Executive Director Jim Spearman. "The appalling use of tax dollars for partisan political activities is an illegal use of public funds by a state-funded university, and shows such a lack of judgment as to make his position as Government Relations Director untenable." Looking at the billboard, it would be clear to those passing by that JSU has endorsed K.L. Brown. Not only that, but the Whaley campaign and Democrats have been effectively barred from engaging and informing young voters and others at the University, while the Republicans have been given free and unfettered access. The unacceptable double-standard leaves JSU faculty and staff with only one candidate’s perspective. Flying in on the state jet for the rally, Governor Riley has yet to answer questions about JSU employees going years without a well-deserved raise, how to fill a $248 million gap in funding for PEEHIP, the JSU health plan, and how to overcome a 25 percent budget cut for JSU, questions that Ricky Whaley has been answering for some time.
 K. L. Brown -- who is being permitted to campaign on campus -- is running in the HD40 special election as a Republican. The Democrat, Ricky Whaley, isn't even allowed to have volunteers on campus -- except in some mythical "free-speech zone." Since when is free speech limited to certain areas? Republicans are quick to tell us that free speech is sacred when they're trying to justify unlimited corporate electioneering, but when it comes to actual, live people speaking their minds it's a whole different ballgame.
Hypocrites! |
