COLUMN: A Day With Developer & Northport Kingmaker Ron Turner

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NORTHPORT, AL — I opened the passenger door of the white GMC Yukon parked at Northport City Hall and was greeted with a smiling face behind a neatly trimmed white mustache.

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“Mr. Turner, I presume?” I said, offering up a handshake and the best disarming cliché I could muster. “From the way so many folks talk about you, I was expecting some kind of damned boogeyman.”

Depending on who you talk to, many City Hall insiders and even some elected officials have expressed serious fears about the influence of Tuscaloosa developer Ron Turner. And nowhere is this clout more readily accessible than in the money he spends on local elections in Northport.

ALSO READ: Following The Money: The Influence Of Developers In Northport

Turner’s political focus is almost exclusively on the rapidly growing city, after all, for reasons we will discuss later. To his credit, though, Turner signs his own name on checks to political candidates and doesn’t funnel his money for Northport politics through Political Action Committees (PACs) like other local developers.

There’s nothing wrong or illegal with either approach, no, but it underscores Turner’s tenacious individualism and reluctance to hide his political activism. As he told this reporter multiple times on Saturday, he has nothing to hide.

As I previously reported earlier in the week, Turner is far and away the single-largest individual campaign contributor for this Northport City Council and mayor, standing out as the biggest financial benefactor for Mayor John Hinton, Council President Jeff Hogg, District 4’s Jamie Dykes and former mayor Bobby Herndon.

What’s more, Turner’s involvement in local politics came to the surface after a leaked email in 2021 showed Hogg telling his elected colleagues to stay on the right side of developers and to “follow the money.”

Hogg’s words would prove ironically prophetic roughly three years later:

“Word of advice for upsetting constituents and being worried ‘politically’ … we are 1 year in the term no one will remember this in 4 years. If they do, it won’t be a hot topic item. Half the complainers don’t even vote. There’s over 5,000 voters in a district and 10% of that can win an election. … “And lastly, follow the money. These individuals don’t donate to anyone’s campaign or hold signs. But guess who does? Developers and Builders!”

When Tuscaloosa Patch “followed the money,” our independent investigation found that the two primary money players in Northport politics were Turner and a small but incredibly influential cadre of local developers and construction magnates operating through PACs — most of whom Turner appears to be at odds with.

So, dear reader, you can understand my surprise and apprehension when Turner reached out over the weekend and asked me to “go for a ride” with him.

It was a request that I told Turner initially prompted images from “The Godfather” as it followed my extensive reporting on his financial influence and the public accusations of possible extortion on the part of certain elected officials in Northport City Hall working on behalf of developers like Turner.

For the better part of two hours, Turner and I chatted like old friends and rode around to different properties, including the proposed site of a new $350 million resort-style water park off McFarland Boulevard and Harper Road. The project, mostly for its sheer size and location, was met with immediate public backlash from city residents and those living in the vicinity of the proposed development.

City leaders also caught serious flack for their ham-fisted handling of an announcement for a project that seemed to balloon overnight from a modest $20 million Fayette-style water park to the monstrous mixed-use development being considered today. Never mind the City Council voted on Feb. 19 to enter a public-private partnership agreement with University Beach LLC on the same day as the project’s very first public hearing.

The backroom dynamics of how this questionable partnership developed become even more troubling when considering an email obtained by Tuscaloosa Patch that shows Northport City Attorney Ron Davis suggesting to members of the Council on the eve of the vote to suspend the rules and go ahead and vote to enter the agreement.

Had the measure to suspend the rules and vote on the partnership agreement failed, it would’ve forced a first and second reading of the measure before the council could vote on it.

“An immediate vote Monday night just lets all the people present know what is going to happen, does not make them think we are trying to hide something from them by waiting, and does not make them come back a second time,” Davis wrote. “Do you REALLY want to do this twice?”

These folks were elected to serve the people and it should throw up immediate red flags when they are encouraged to force through such a massive resolution for the sake of expediency.

The email also seems to show that the decision was pretty much already made and one could argue with a fair degree of certainty that the public hearing that followed was nothing more than an empty, performative gesture for the council to meet the minimum legal requirements for the project.

The council meeting that night lasted for roughly three hours but, with that knowledge in hand, it’s clear that it was most likely nothing more than a waste of time and hot air.

Still more troubling is the fact that Patch confirmed that the Texas developers from University Beach LLC closed on the purchase of the larger tract known as the “Shirley property” the Tuesday following the meeting and, as part of the agreement, the city has already deeded the roughly 11-acre parcel on the front of the proposed site to the private firm.

Other than a few fail-safes in the partnership agreement, the onus is now pretty much squarely on the University Beach developers to shepherd the project to completion.

While a supporter of the overall concept of a Northport water park, Turner voiced his own concerns about the current incarnation of the mixed-use development, including its location, the way the project was hastily presented to the community, the financial track records of its developers and the lack of transparency regarding private investors involved with the project.

Turner, 77, is a quick-witted man of many colorful analogies and has a pretty good sense of humor, even when it comes to talking about himself. Originally from Selma, Turner finished high school at night and eventually moved to Tuscaloosa County on Dec. 1, 1971.

He also has a clear vision for what he would like to see Northport become and seems very much proud to be a lone-wolf player on the local scene, especially when compared to what appears to be a small cartel of other wealthy and influential developers pumping money into local political campaigns by way of PACs headed up by longtime conservative Tuscaloosa political consultant Mike Echols.

In discussing the current push for “school choice” in the Alabama legislature, for example, Turner elaborated on his longstanding desire to one day be the lucky developer who finally builds a new and sorely needed Collins-Riverside Intermediate School.

It’s something he views as a true legacy project.

“I live a very conservative existence and have plenty of assets,” he explained when I asked him what he stood to gain from it. “This isn’t about the money.”

The Riverside property is owned by the Tuscaloosa County School System and past talks with Northport officials to buy the land never really went anywhere, leaving Turner disappointed and with little recourse at present to see his passion project come to fruition.

Supported by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and cosponsored by State Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education Act (CHOOSE Act) is being considered during the current legislative session and would allow for the creation of education savings accounts for parents to offset expenses like private school or charter school tuition.

Turner is also a major proponent of a separate Northport city school system and backed Herndon, Dykes and Hinton during the 2020 election cycle in part due to their support of the ultimately doomed initiative.

This is where the whole topic of “school choice” comes in, with Turner saying he believed it important for local leaders to get the wheels moving on conversations for a city school district and then take advantage of the ability to support the construction of charter schools in Northport if the measure is signed into law by the governor.

He is also quick to justify his financial involvement in Northport politics, telling me that as a developer with his own business interests and desires, he simply wants quality governance and backs candidates he believes embody those same values.

As I’ve written multiple times, this practice is legal and Turner doesn’t try to hide it because, as he explained, he doesn’t feel he has anything to hide.

“You can dig on me all you want,” he said with an infectious laugh as we turned onto Harper Road. “All I want is good government. Everyone wants to know what I have to gain from any of this and no one has any kind of answer for it because I just want what’s best for Northport and want to see it grow.”

Indeed, growth in Northport stands out as the overarching theme for Turner’s involvement on numerous issues and he insisted that city leaders are duty-bound to find responsible and effective ways to capitalize on the city’s current trajectory to sustain its present growth into the future.

Speaking mostly on background and at times completely off the record, Turner did go on the record to lament the location of the proposed University Beach development and reminded this reporter that he tried to sell his property behind Regional Homes of Northport and the Walmart Supercenter off of Highway 82 to the City of Northport for the potential site for its water park concept.

Turner insisted this large tract of heavily wooded, undeveloped land would be more conducive to traffic and far less intrusive on nearby residential areas — both key criticisms of the current location of the proposed University Beach development. This is a pretty fair argument, especially considering the city’s decision to purchase 151 acres of rugged land off of Rose Boulevard for $700,000 in 2021 as the original intended site for the water park.

When I asked Turner if he thought the city’s decision to pivot on the property in favor of turning it into an adventure sports park was a “cover your tail” move by Northport officials trying to save face, he simply nodded his head in solemn agreement.

A bit later, sitting in his SUV on the shoulder of Joe Mallisham Parkway on the Northport side of the Black Warrior River near the toll bridge, Turner pointed a finger down at a massive tract of land a couple of miles away near the Tuscaloosa National Airport that he believes would have been a more suitable home for a Northport water park.

To that end, the land is indeed flat and far-removed from residential areas, not to mention its proximity to the ever-expanding airport.

“I love the concept and we do need something like that in Northport,” he said. “Just not at that location. Again, love the concept, not the location.”

Turner also seemed a bit chapped at how news of the $350 million development was trotted out by City Hall to the public, with the community only given 10 days from the publication of the public notice announcing a completely new development that no one expected before the City Council voted to enter the partnership agreement on the same night as the public hearing.

ALSO READ: COLUMN |The True And Terrible Saga Of The Northport ‘Water Park’

I was most surprised, however, that Turner wholly agreed with my own opinion of how the City Council has handled the optics and public relations for the monstrous project.

Indeed, as I’ve written in recent weeks and once again explained to Turner, my issues aren’t so much with developers doing what developers do, but how the City Council handled the entire evolution of the project up to this point and the location that was settled upon.

No, instead of exercising transparency, grace and genuinely considering the public’s input on the University Beach development, the city’s elected leaders have mostly doubled down on their decision, with some even going so far as to publicly mock those speaking out in opposition.

Chief among the belligerents is Northport water park champion and Council President Jeff Hogg, who has done himself no favors by name-calling and trying to discredit the opinions of concerned constituents.

In one such regrettable example, Hogg donned a traditional foam clown nose and posed for a selfie that he posted on Facebook in response to a random commenter calling him “a clown” — completely oblivious to the possibility that it might become a meme used not just against him and his other elected colleagues, but the entire city as others around the state jeer at Northport for saddling up with such a dangerous gambit offered up by private developers and outside investors.

At baseline, it’s an embarrassing portrayal of the city to the outside world and has accomplished little in winning over the opposition to Hogg’s side.

Rather, Hogg’s public combativeness and insistence that the mixed-use development is a “water park” was one of the key reasons behind University Beach developers demanding that the city’s elected leaders and employees sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) ahead of the vote.

ALSO READ: ‘It’s Not A Water Park’: Developer Discusses Northport Project

Hogg has been undeterred by the fallout, though, and has taken public credit for the latest incarnation of the development at every turn, despite University Beach developers confirming to Patch that their involvement in the project was the result of previously established connections in the Tuscaloosa area and not because Hogg lured them to Northport.

In just calling balls and strikes here, the original concept of a Northport water park with a few sun-bleached waterslides and a lazy river was indeed Hogg’s brainchild going back at least four years.

It should be noted, though, that University Beach developers told Patch they informed City Administrator Glenda Webb and City Engineer Tera Tubbs that such a project as the one conceived by Hogg would likely become a financial albatross for the city.

Turner said Hogg is a smart man and an effective politician but agreed with the sentiment expressed by Patch that his impulsivity, ego and public treatment of others do little to help the situation or improve the credibility of a project Hogg so desperately wants to see become reality.

Still, Turner says he hasn’t given up hope for Hogg and others inside City Hall to have a change of heart, to which I half-jokingly reminded the influential developer that “this isn’t Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas morning we’re talking about.”

“So much of the whole thing is about perception,” he responded optimistically.

To this point, this reporter is left with little choice but to agree.

Think about it:

Would there have been this kind of backlash if the development was in a different location?

What if city leaders had been more willing to listen to the concerns of the public?

What if the overall scope of the project was scaled down to a more palatable size?

Would we be having this discussion if there had been more advanced public conversations once the developers from Texas entered the picture?

What if the citizens were allowed to vote on the city entering the partnership agreement?

What if the entire goal of touting such an unrealistic development was to shock the electorate into seeing city leaders as heroes when they eventually walk back these plans in favor of the original $20 million water park?

While Turner is still holding out hope for Northport’s council president, he confirmed a major falling out with former Mayor Bobby Herndon, who insisted in a recent interview with Patch that he resigned after beginning to feel threatened by other elected officials working on the behalf of developers.

This claim of alleged extortion is a serious one that was also raised by District 4 Councilwoman Jamie Dykes following the vote for the city to enter the partnership agreement.

ALSO READ: Northport Councilwoman Explains Decision To Vote Against Water Park

When asked by Patch on the record about the claims of extortion by elected officials on the take for developers, Turner flatly denied the accusations.

Turner then offered some pretty sharp personal barbs about Dykes and Herndon, while at the same time lamenting the erosion of two longtime friendships.

“There’s a reason you can’t put either of them in charge of any money,” he told me. “Every time they are put in that position, whether it’s [Dykes] or Bobby, you have to watch them.”

Herndon told Patch he decided to resign from office at the end of 2022 when he realized he did not have the support among his colleagues to accomplish even basic goals ranging from the city’s appointment to the DCH Board to getting a street renamed in front of his business.

Turner and Herndon go way back as friends and the two have vacationed together many times in the past at Turner’s Caribbean home on Saint Thomas Island.

Still, Turner said he and Herndon had their final falling out over the appointment of a new city administrator in 2021.

While the Council ultimately decided to hire former Tuscaloosa City Attorney Glenda Webb for the role, Turner said he and Herndon were at odds over their preference of candidates.

Indeed, Turner says he pushed hard for the Council to consider ousted Council President and District 2 Councilman Jay Logan for the position, but said this proved a non-starter due to Logan not having a college degree — one of the key criteria in the job description.

This makes sense when considering that Turner prides himself on being a self-made man without a college diploma.

“I told Bobby that if you’re going to have a strong Council, I’m going to tell you who you need in,” Turner told Patch. “Jay Logan would have been the best salesman for the city as long as he could be selling the city.”

Conversely, Turner claimed that Herndon led an ill-fated push for a familiar candidate to return to Northport — former City Administrator Scott Collins.

Collins previously served on the City Council and resigned under a cloud of suspicion in 2016, with Turner saying he informed his longtime friend and the former mayor that Herndon could not support bringing Collins back because “what they were running was a scam.”

While he declined to elaborate further on the alleged grift, Turner is likely referring to well-known accusations that city leaders during this time were suspected of illegally moving around public money from department to department to pay bills and give the city the appearance of being on sound financial footing at a time when Northport was actually on the verge of bankruptcy.

Turner and Herndon also locked horns later in 2021 over the city’s appointment to the DCH Health System Board — a role Turner occupied for years before.

Turner told Patch he was not re-appointed to the board after raising serious questions and leading a failed push to oust then-DCH Health System CEO Bryan Kindred, who retired in April 2022.

In 2021, it would be Herndon and Hogg who faced off over the appointee to the hospital system board, with the two publicly disagreeing over the qualifications for an ideal candidate.

Hogg ultimately saw his preferred candidate — UA professor and Tuscaloosa native David Albright — appointed as Northport’s lone representative on the board and a few months later Herndon abruptly announced his resignation. The appointment was finalized with a vote of 3-2, with District 2’s Woodrow Washington III and District 4’s Jamie Dykes opposed.

As Patch previously reported, it’s important to note that Northport’s representative on the board does not have to be a resident of the city, as is the case with both Turner and Albright, due to it not being a statutory requirement for Civil Service Board appointees.

Access to health care is one of Turner’s political passions, though, and even as recently as Sunday, he emailed the Northport City Council to mention the importance of having the right voice to represent the city on the DCH Board amid the winds of change for the health care sector.

This comes amid widely circulating speculation regarding DCH Health System’s financial stability and its reportedly dwindling cash reserves, along with the looming possibility of a sale to the UA System, which would then make the hospital system eligible for much more in the way of federal funding in exchange for the community-owned system losing its local autonomy.

“The hospital form as you know it will cease to exist forming clinics outside of [the] hospital and the hospital will become an ACUTE care center,” Turner told the Council Sunday via email. “You are a vital part of appointing the representative to our health care authority. Please continue to monitor this financial and social obligation of [Northport]. My goal (as this change occurs) is to encourage clinics and facilities to build in [Northport].”

I know all of these anecdotes have been a lot to process, dear reader, but all of this reporting helps us work our way back to the central question Turner asked me that I’ve yet to settle on a succinct and accurate answer for:

What does Turner stand to gain from any of this?

Maybe the goal is securing more contracts to add to his substantial wealth or maybe it’s jockeying for access to new projects to boost his portfolio?

Maybe he wishes nothing more than to leave a lasting legacy?

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Maybe he just likes playing kingmaker?

Or maybe he truly wants what’s best for Northport?

Again, this experienced reporter is no closer to a suitable answer to the aforementioned question than when I started and couldn’t help but wonder if Turner reaching out to me for a meeting had the unexpressed intention of sending those on the City Council a message by way of one of their least-favorite media noisemakers.

One also has to wonder if the visible friction between Hogg and Turner is actually the result of the boisterous city council president finally going rogue and completely bucking the desires of his biggest benefactor.

After all, Hogg likely didn’t need Turner’s money in 2020 when he won re-election with 70% of the vote in District 5. He’s very popular in his district and has proven quite adept at galvanizing the base to get out and vote if nothing else.

With that in mind, is it possible that the entire controversy surrounding the rollout of the University Beach development to the community could be the result of just one man’s impulsivity and not that of some complex, far-reaching conspiracy?

Regardless, what is clear is that Turner will be keeping a close eye on how University Beach progresses as a development over the next year leading up to the 2025 municipal election and he told Patch that his present wish for Northport is for everyone, including elected officials, to keep a positive attitude, an open mind and to treat one another and the people they serve with respect as this project and other initiatives move forward.

“There’s just so much good that’s possible for Northport right now and that’s what we should all be focusing on.”

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and opinion columnist. He is also the founder and field editor of Tuscaloosa Patch. The opinions expressed in this column are in no way a reflection of our parent company or sponsors. Email news tips to [email protected].

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