Gov. candidate Bill Johnson believes Riley influenced by Miss. casino owners

A Republican candidate for governor accused Gov. Bob Riley on Thursday of being influenced by gaming interests in Mississippi.

Bill Johnson, a former Riley Cabinet appointee and member of his campaign staff, said Thursday that Riley’s hard stand against electronic bingo in the state may be because he took money from the Choctaw Indians to limit the expansion of gaming in Alabama during his first campaign.

Contributions, cited in Sen. John McCain’s “Gimme Five” Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters, presented to the Committee on Indian Affairs in 2006, were made in an effort to protect the reservation’s market share in the neighboring state.

“I was in the leadership of the 2002 and 2006 Riley for Governor Campaign,” Johnson said Thursday morning during a press conference he called at the Country Crossing development south of Dothan.

“We received money from the Mississippi Indians — millions of dollars.“

Johnson concluded with his belief that Riley’s aggressive opposition to the electronic bingo portion of Country Crossing is because of these outside influences in the form of campaign contributions.

How else, he said, can anyone explain the governor’s opposition to the project, the second largest economic development project in the state, according to Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker.

“I’m concerned that those dollars from Mississippi Indian casino owners are manipulating public policy in Alabama and blocking the efforts of good Alabamians like Ronnie Gilley from creating the very kind of opportunities we need throughout this state,” Johnson said.

The former Birmingham city councilman said Riley’s recent attempt to block the shipment of the 1,703 bingo machines coming to Country Crossing, was part of an effort to “circumvent the law and block a legal development that means opportunity for thousands of people in Southeast Alabama.”

“It’s time for the governor to back off and let the people decide on the future of bingo in Alabama,” he said, adding that the governor would rather use the courts to decide the matter.

“Let the people of Alabama decide,” he said, “not the Indians in Mississippi.”

Johnson said the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians wanted to limit expansion of gambling in Alabama to protect their casinos in Philadelphia, Miss., and that’s why the tribe wanted to contribute to Riley’s Republican campaign in 2002.

Riley reported no direct contributions from the tribe on his campaign finance reports in 2002. But Alabama law allows money to flow through political action committees before being donated to a campaign.

Johnson is not the first to allege Indian money flowed into Riley’s campaign. Former Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley made it an issue in her 2006 race against Riley.

She and others have pointed to convicted Washington lobbyist Mike Scanlon, who served as press secretary to Riley when he first became a congressman in 1997. Scanlon later started working for the Choctaw tribe in Washington and received millions to try to boost its political influence.

Campaign records show that in 2002, Scanlon contributed $100,000 to political action committees run by two Montgomery lobbyists. The lobbyists’ PACs were major donors to Riley.

Scanlon also contributed $50,000 to a Republican organization that was a major contributor to Riley’s campaign.

Scanlon pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiring to bribe public officials in connection with his lobbying work on behalf of Indian tribes and casino issues.

Jeff Emerson, communications director for Gov. Riley, dismissed Johnson’s comments.

“These are the same old, tired allegations that Don Siegelman, Milton McGregor and other opponents of the Governor trot out every once in a while,“ Emerson said in a statement e-mailed to the Dothan Eagle. “We’ve addressed them numerous times. They’re not true. If he’s willing to tell such outrageous lies just to get attention, it almost makes you feel sorry for him. His desperation for publicity is just plain sad. The more insignificant his campaign gets to the point that staffers quit, the more ridiculous his lies become.”

Emerson, and Toby Roth, political director of Riley’s 2002 campaign, told the Associated Press there were no donations from Mississippi Indians and their casino operations.

Roth said Johnson “was in no position to know about fundraising because he wasn’t involved in fundraising.” He said Johnson is attacking his former boss and longtime friend to try to draw attention to his campaign in a crowded Republican field.

Johnson, who is behind in the polls in a crowded Republican race for the Governor’s mansion, said his appearance at the multi-million-dollar country music entertainment project, is not merely political in nature.

He said he has received no campaign contributions from Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, nor has he received any money from gaming interests. Johnson said the governor’s actions have spurred his response.

“I felt I needed to make a firm stand,” he said.

Country Crossing is set to open Dec. 1.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.