By Cliff McCollum
According to well-placed confidential sources, a statement given to The Courier by the City of Fairhope involving the use of city resources for a Sept. 25 rally for then U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore at Oak Hollow Farm contained false information.
City-owned barricades and city employees were sent to Oak Hollow Farm prior to the event in a move that may have violated state law and established city protocol regarding their usage.
The city’s statement
Attached to the documents given to The Courier via a public records request on Dec. 8 was a statement from the mayor’s office, which reads as follows:
“The campaign for a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat, Roy Moore, scheduled a political event within the police jurisdiction of the City of Fairhope for September 25, 217 (sic). This event was scheduled without notice or advance consultation with Fairhope’s elected officials or employees.
“Subsequently, the Moore campaign learned that a nationally recognized public figure and former cabinet member (sic), Steve Bannon, intended to attend the event along with television celebrity, Phil Robertson. This turn of events caused the Moore Campaign to reach out to the City for reasons of public safety and security. An event of this magnitude was expected to draw national attention and media coverage. More importantly, such an event also draws a far larger crowd bringing with it a host of public safety and security concerns.
“For these reasons, City officials and employees, including Chief Petties, worked with the Moore Campaign as well as members of U.S. Secret Service to implement standard safety and security protocols in order to protect the citizens of Fairhope, the attendees of the event within its police jurisdiction and the candidate and officials attending the event. Extraordinary expenditures necessitated by the event were invoiced by the City and paid for by the Moore Campaign.
“Public safety and security is one of the paramount objectives of the City of Fairhope. When events such as the September 25th One (sic) is scheduled within the police jurisdiction of Fairhope it is incumbent on the City to properly prepare, plan and implement adequate safety procedures to insure the health safety and welfare of its citizens.”
No Secret Service coordination
According to well-placed confidential sources that spoke with The Courier, Fairhope Police did not coordinate security with any members of the Secret Service about the Sept. 25 Moore event.
Sources said the Fairhope PD did have conversations with Moore’s security team about the event but that the Secret Service was not involved with those conversations.
The city’s statement also lists Bannon as a “former cabinet member,” but Bannon’s position as White House Chief Strategist and Counselor to the President was not a cabinet level position. Bannon also resigned from those positions on Aug. 18, well before the Sept. 25 event.
The Courier has reached out to the Moore campaign for comment and will update this story as needed.
The Courier has also reached out to Fairhope Police Chief Joe Petties for an interview next week after the Christmas holiday.
