Lawyers at Chris McNair’s trial on bribery charges agreed in their opening statements today that sewer rehabilitation work contractors gave the former Jefferson County commissioner gifts. But they differed over whether the gifts represented homage to a great man or bribes.

Prosecutor Bill Dillon told the jury that McNair used his position to get more than $350,000 in cash and to get services, including salaries and materials for an elaborate expansion of his photo studio that took more than a year and work to build a lake house in Arkansas.

He said McNair’s daughters, Kim and Lisa, who work at his photo studio, will testify that on two or three occasions their father brought them envelopes of cash to deposit in the bank, cash that could not be accounted for by the family business.

Dillon said he would show that McNair repeatedly asked for money and construction work from occasionally unwilling and shaken county contractors. He said he would also show a pattern of altering or writing inaccurate receipts or work orders so that there was no trail to McNair.

Lawyers for the eight people and companies on trial for bribing McNair say they don’t deny their clients gave McNair some gifts, work or cash. But they deny that their clients gained anything in return. After Jefferson County was ordered to rehabilitate its sewer system, there was so much work to do that qualified companies had almost more than they wanted.

“There is no evidence Pugh ever asked for or wanted anything from Mr. McNair,” said Mike Brown, an attorney for Roland Pugh Construction Inc.

For complete story, see Friday's Birmingham News.

Val Walton and Katherine Bouma