By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Since 2002, business interests associated with Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) have racked in over $2,000,000 in payments for contracted or subcontracted work performed for the Alabama Republican Party, according to the ALGOP filings with the Secretary of State.
Hubbard, through his companies Auburn Network, Network Creative Media and Craftmaster Printers, Inc., has used the ALGOP as a virtual money machine.
From 2002-2010, Craftmaster Printers, Inc., a Hubbard business interest, received $618,301.22 in direct payments from the ALGOP. It also received $815,118.55, in subcontracted work. In 2010, the ALGOP made 187 payments to Majority Strategies, a Florida direct mail company, in the amount of $815,118.55, according Secretary of State’s records. The 187 payments to Majority Strategies were made while Hubbard was Chairman of the ALGOP.
An internal audit conducted at the request of Bill Armistead, who replaced Hubbard as Chairman, after 2010 shows that total indirect printing, postage, mail service, and shipping costs were paid to Majority Strategies and remitted to Craftmaster Printers, Inc., in a subcontracting agreement worth $725,262.
Hubbard has stated in the past that ALGOP Executive Director John Ross, negotiated the subcontracting contract with Majority Strategies. The records surrounding Hubbard’s time as ALGOP Chairman, and specifically those related to Hubbard and Majority Strategies, were seized by the State’s Attorney General’s Office in December, 2012.
Hubbard became the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party in 2007.
From 2002 until July 14, 2010, Craftmaster Printers, Inc., was paid $564,678 from the State Party. After May, 20, 2009 through December 15, 2010, Craftmaster Printers, Inc., only received $53,623.22 in payments from the ALGOP. However, from July 15, 2009, through October 27, 2010 Majority Strategies received $785,124.63 in payments from the Party, with Approximately $741,757.88 going to a Hubbard business interest through the subcontract arrangement
When added together, Craftmaster Printers, Inc., made a grand total of $1,433,419.77 from the ALGOP in direct contract and subcontract work. Hubbard’s Network Creative Media, which provides radio, TV and other production offerings, has taken a total of $834,701.99, in payments from the ALGOP since 2002. Also Hubbard’s radio station company Auburn Network, has banked $103,560 from work conducted for the ALGOP.
All totaled, Hubbard’s business interests have received $2,371,681.76 in payments from ALGOP from 2002 until 2010.
Under the leadership of Chairman Bill Armistead, no business dealing have ever been recorded between the ALGOP and Hubbard business interests.
