Anti-tax meeting rouses plan's foes Riley accused of betraying GOP Russ and Dee Fine have our support

06/29/03 DAVID WHITE News staff writer MONTGOMERY The crowd at an anti-tax meeting here erupted in cheers Saturday when Birmingham radio talk show host Russ Fine said Republican Gov. Bob Riley should be tossed from the party for proposing a $1.2 billion-a-year tax increase. "I believe the Republican base of this state has been absolutely betrayed," said Fine, who hosts a radio show on WYDE-FM in Birmingham with his wife, Dee. "I would move that the executive committee throw Bob Riley out of the Republican Party," Fine said to loud cheers. "He has betrayed everybody in this room who supported him. Absolute betrayal." In just a few minutes, Fine energized the crowd of more than 220 people who showed up for an anti-tax meeting organized by former state Republican Party chairman Roger McConnell. "We have got to take the gloves off," Fine said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you leave here mad, because I'm mad." Riley's press secretary, David Azbell, said in an interview later, "Bob Riley is as Republican a man as there ever was. "But he took an oath to God to do what was in the best interest of Alabama," Azbell said. "And as much as he hates the idea of having to raise taxes, circumstances and realities that he inherited leave him no other choice. "I think it's fair for those with a differing view to attack the plan," Azbell said. "I think it's very unfair for them to attack the man." Fellow WYDE-FM talk show host Matt Murphy spoke soon after Fine and said the anti-tax meeting, called by McConnell to organize people to campaign against the Sept. 9 referendum on Riley's tax plan, was really a rally. "It's a rally to a cause, and that cause is to end oppressive taxation," Murphy said. He added that he blames himself for voting for Riley. McConnell urged people to pray for Riley. But Terri Fulton, a bookkeeper from Ardmore, stood up and said, "Somebody earlier said be nice to Riley. Right now, I am furious." "They're mismanaging their money already," she said in an interview later. "They just don't need any more." McConnell, who has started a new political action committee called the Tax Accountability Coalition, said group leaders will hold anti-tax campaign planning meetings in Alabama's seven congressional districts in coming weeks. Personal attacks: He said in an interview that he hopes there won't be any personal attacks on Riley at those meetings. "I think the governor is a fine individual," McConnell said. "It's his behavior. We've got to separate the individual from the behavior." But even McConnell urged people at the meeting to run against any Republican executive committee member who supports Riley's tax plan. "The Republican Party has a few cornerstones. One of them is lower taxes, less government," McConnell said. "We are taking the wrong road. I do not see any difference between the Democrat and Republican party." He and John Giles, president of the Christian Coalition of Alabama, said Riley and lawmakers need to spend existing state tax dollars more wisely and save money by merging colleges, for instance. "Poor stewardship got us into this mess," Giles said. "Good stewardship will get us out of this mess." Giles noted that lawmakers and former Gov. Don Siegelman voted to spend more than $200 million in savings to give pay raises and other benefits to teachers and state employees. The raises took effect five weeks before the Nov. 5 elections. Now that one-time money is gone and can't be used to pay those recurring expenses, which have helped create state budget shortfalls that Riley says could reach $675 million next year. Lobbyists attended: Riley has warned that poor people on Medicaid could be kicked out of nursing homes and prisoners could be released in droves if taxes aren't raised. McConnell said, "I think that's hogwash. There's plenty of money." Besides filling budget shortfalls, Riley said his tax plan also could help create a world-class education system. Several association executives and lobbyists attended the anti-tax meeting, including John McMillan and Boyd Kelly of the Alabama Forestry Association, Mike Kilgore of the Alabama Farmers Federation, Logan Gray with SouthTrust and Rosemary Elebash with the National Federation of Independent Business. Elebash spoke out against the tax plan. The others didn't speak. While campaigning for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2002, Riley touted his opposition to tax increases while serving in Congress but refused to sign a no-tax pledge pushed by one of his opponents, Tim James. Riley said signing such a pledge would be irresponsible. Copyright 2003 al.com. All Rights Reserved.