HUBBARD TRIAL Day 4 Morning

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Posted by: Staff
Date: May 27 2016 12:03 PM

HUBBARD TRIAL: DAY 4- BRETT BURECK IS FIRST UP TO TESTIFY HE IS A POLITICAL CONSULTANT FOR MAJORITY STRATEGIES. THE COMPANY DOES VOTER CONTACT MAIL. MATT HART ASKS BURECK IF HE WORKED ON CAMPAIGNS IN ALABAMA IN 2010. HART SHOW BURECK CHECKS WRITTEN TO CRAFTMASTERS PRINTERS. BURECK IS SHOWN A DOCUMENT THAT IS A COPY OF AN EMAIL BETWEEN BURECK AND CAMBERDEANA. HART THEN SHOWS BURECK AN ENAIL OF A CONVERSATION BETWEEN HUBBARD, BURECK AND CAMBERDEANA. IN THE EMAIL BASICALLY HUBBARD SEEMS TO THINK BURECK IS TO DEMANDING AND SAYS THAT LIFE IS TO SHORT TO HAVE TO PUT UP WITH A PERSON LIKE BRETT BURECK. UNDER CROSS EXAMINATION BURECK READS ANOTHER PORTION OF THE EMAIL IN WHICH IT SEEMS THAT THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING AND EVENTUALLY THE PROBLEM WAS WORKED OUT. BURECK SAYS HE BELIEVES THERE WERE WORDS AND SITUATIONS THAT WERE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT THAT MADE IT SEEM LIKE THERE WAS HOSTILITY BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT ALL WORKED OUT.

BURECK REVEALS THAT HE MET LAST NIGHT WITH PROSECUTORS TO DISCUSS HIS TESTIMONY. BURECK TELLS HART THAT EVEN THOUGH HUBBARD MEVER TOLD HIM DIRECTLY HE BELIEVED THAT CRAFTMASTERS WAS HIS ONLY OPTION.

Dothan mayor mike Schmitz to the stand- SCHMITZ DISCUSSES HIS ROLE AND OUSITION ON THE BOARD OF THE SEAGD. SCHMITZ SAYS 14 MUNICIPALITIES SHARE IN THE PROFITS IF ANY FROM THE GAS DISTRICT. SCHMITZ SAYS MEMBERS ARE PAID $1000 DOLLARS FOR EACH MEETING THEY ATTEND. SCHMITZ DISCUSSES THE HIRING OF HUBBARD AS A CONSULTANT. SCHMITZ SAYS HUBBARD WAS HIRED TO ASSIST WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT A SALARY OF $12,000 PER MONTH. SCHMITZ IS SHOWN COPIES OF ACTIVITY REPORTS THAT HUBBARD SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD. SCHMITZ TALKS ABOUT A LETTER SENT TO THE GAS DISTRICT FROM THE ETHICS COMMISSION STATING THAT HUBBARD COULD WORK FOR THEM, BUT NOT WEAR THE MANTLE OF HIS OFFICE WHILE DOING SO. QUESTIONS NOW TURN TO PEMCO AND THE LOSS OF HUNDREDS OF JOBS. MATT PARKER FOUND COMMERCIAL JET, AND INVITED THEM TO DOTHAN. COMMERCIAL JET WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE SIZE AND LAYOUT OF THE AIRPORT FACILITY.

THE IMPROVEMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL JET WOULD COST ABOUT $18 MILLION DOLLARS. AT THAT POINT PAUL LEE AND MATT PARKER WENT TO HUBBARD FOR ASSISTANCE. HUBBARD SET UP MEETINGS WITH GOVERNOR BENTLEY TO DISCUSS FUNDING. THE CITY AND THE CHAMBER WERE ABLE TO SECURE A BOND FOR $6 MILLION OF THE COST. THE STATE THEN KICKED IN $12 MILLION DOLLARS. THERE WAS THEN A SECOND MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR TO FORMALLY WELCOME COMMERCIAL JET TO THE AIRPORT. WHEN ASKED IN WHAT CAPACITY DID HE THINK HUBBARD WAS WORKING ON BEHALF TO THE CITY, SCHMITZ REPLIES, “HE IS THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE”. SCHMITZ IS SHOWN AN ACTIVITY REPORT IN WHICH HUBBARD CLAIMS HE WAS WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE SEAGD. IN ANOTHER REPORT TO SEAGD HUBBARD CLAIMS TO BE WORKING FOR THEM WHILE WORKING TO SECURE A COMMITMENT FROM COMMERCIAL JET. IN A THIRD REPORT HUBBARD SAYS HE HAS SET UP MEETINGS WITH GOVERNOR BENTLEY CONCERNING COMMERCIAL JET. SCHMITZ SAYS THE REPORTS ARE FOR WORK HUBBARD DID AND WAS PAID FOR AS A CONSULTANT.

IN YET ANOTHER ACTIVITY REPORT SCHMITZ READS TELLS OF A CONFERENCE CALL THAT HUBBARD SAID HE PARTICIPATED IN ON BEHALF OF SEAGD. SCHMITZ EARLIER TESTIFIED THAT HUBBARD AS SPEAKER WAS ABLE TO SET THE MEETINGS AND PHONE CALL UP.

BAXLEY CROSS EXAMINES, COMMERCIAL JET WAS A GREAT BENEFIT FOR EVERYONE IN THE WIREGRAS WASN’T IT? SCHMITZ SAYS IT WAS A GREAT DAY. BAXLEY ASKS SCHMITZ IF HE KNEW THAT THE LEGISLATURE WAS NOT IN SESSION DURING THE TIME HUBBARD WAS HELPING GET COMMERCIAL JET.

DOTHAN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT MATT PARKER- PARKER HAS BEEN PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER AND IN CHARGE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SINCE 1999. PARKER TALKS ABOUT HIS ROLE WORKING TO BRING COMPANIES TO THE AREA AND HE WORKS CLOSLEY WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO GET THEIR HELP TO BRING IN COMPANIES. PARKER TALKS ABOUT PEMCO LEAVING A BIG HOLE IN DOTHAN WHEN THEIR BUSINESS LEFT. PARKER TELLS OF A MEETING IN MARCH OF 2012 WHEN HE, PAUL LEE, MIKE HUBBARD, DONNIE CHESTEEN, AND AIRPORT DIRECTOR ART MORRIS. PARKER SAYS THEY MET IN THE SPEAKERS OFFICE HE THINKS TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION AT THE AIRPORT AND HOW TO PROCEDE. AT ONE POINT PARKER SAYS HE TOOK REPS FROM COMMERCIAL JET TO MEET THE GOVERNOR, HUBBARD AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN ORDER FOR THEM TO SEE THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT FROM GOVERNMENT. PARKER SAYS THE CITY BORROWED ABOUT $4 MILLION TO GO TOWARDS AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS, AND THE STATE PUT IN ABOUT $8 MILLION. PARKER SAID HE KNEW HUBBARD HAD A CONTRACT WITH SEAGD BUT DID NOT KNOW THE DETAILS. PARKER SAYS HE THOUGHT WHEN HUBBARD WAS WORKING TO GET BUSINESSES TO LOCATE IN DOTHAN IT WAS AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. PARKER IS THEN ASKED TO READ A PORTION OF THE CONTRACT WITH SEAGD WHICH SAYS HUBBARD IS NOT TO USE HIS POSITION AS SPEAKER TO INFLUENCE ANY WORK BEING DONE FOR THE DISTRICT.

Baxley cross examines,- baxley asks parker if he has any knowledge of crimes committed by hubbard. Parker looks towards the prosecutor WHO THEN OBJECTS THE JUDGE SUSTAINES AND PARKER DOES NOT ANSWER. BAXLEY SAYS HE HAS NO MORE QUESTIONS.

PAUL LEE TAKES THE STAND- LEE SAYS HE HAS NEVER RECEIVED PAY FOR HIS EFFORTS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OTHER THAN HIS SALARY AS A LEGISLATOR. LEE READS FROM AN ACTIVITY REPORT THAT OUTLINES A MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE CONCERNING THE AIRPORT AND BUSINESS OPORTUNIES. LEE ALSO CONFIRMS HE MET WITH HUBBARD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO HELP WITH BRINGING COMMERCIAL JET IN. LEE WAS ASKED WHY HE MET WITH HUBBARD, LEE ANSWERS BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO NEED THE HELP OF THE STATE, AND MIKE HUBBARD IS THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. IN AN ACTIVITY REPORT HUBBARD SAYS HE IS WORKING TO DEVELOP AN ECONOMIC INCENTIVE PLAN FOR COMMERCIAL JET. WHEN ASKED ABOUT A MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR LEE WAS ASKED IF HE WAS AT THAT MEETING AS A LEGILATOR OR A CONSULTANT, LEE RESPONDED AS A LEGISLATOR. LEE IS ASKED WHAT CAPACITY HE THOUGHT HUBBARD WAS THERE, LEE ANSWERS AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.

LEE CONFIRMS THAT IN EVERY INSTANCE THAT HE MET WITH HUBBARD HUBBARD WAS THERE AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.

KENNETH BOSWELL- MAYOR OF ENTERPRISE BOSWELL SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CONSULTANTS OVER THE YEARS INCLUDING MIKE HUBBARD, BILLY JOE CAMP, AND WILEY LOTT. BOSWELL SAYS HUBBARD WAS HIRED BECAUSE HE IS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AND COULD BRING ATTENTION TO THE GAS DISTRICT THROUGH HIS MANY CONTACTS AND NETWORKING AS SPEAKER. BOSWELL SAID HUBBARD WAS EXPECTED TO ACTIVELY RECRUIT INDUSTRY TO THE WIREGRASS. AT ONE POINT THE BOARD AND BOSWELL VOTED TO CUT HUBBARD’S PAY TO $7500 PER MONTH BECAUSE OF HIS PERFORMANCE. BOSWELL SAID HE MET WITH HUBBARD TO GET ASSISTANCE WITH ROAD PROJECTS FOR ATRIP MONEY. BOSWELL APPROACHED HUBBARD ABOUT ASSISTANCE WITH A COMPANY CALLED ENTERPRISE ELECTRONICS WITH SOME INCENTIVES TO KEEP THE COMPANY FROM LEAVING TOWN. BOSWELL SAID HE REQUESTED HUBBARD TO COME IN HIS ROLE AS CONSULTANT NOT AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.

BOSWELL MOVES ON TO DISCUSS ANOTHER MEETING AND DINNER AT WHICH HE WAS TO INTERACT WITH THE COMPANY. BOSWELL SAID THERE WAS NO DISTINCTION AS TO HIS ROLE. VAN DAVIS ASKS DID ANYONE ADDRESS HIM AS A CONSULTANT. BOSWELL SAYS NO. DAVIS ASKS IF HE WAS ADDRESSED AS SPEAKER, BOSWELL SAYS YES. BOSWELL SAID HUBBARD CAME TO THE DINNER ON A STATE CAR. BOSWELL SAID HUBBARD WENT TO THE PARIS AIR SHOW AND HIS WAY WAS PAID BY THE SEAGD.

Baxley crosses- BAXLEY ASKS BOSWELL IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG WITH BEING THE MAYOR AND MEMBER OF THE GAS DISTRICT? BOSWELL SAID NO. BAXLEY SHOWS A PORTION OF ALABAMA CODE THAT ALLOWS FOR CERTAIN STATE EMPLOYEES TO RECEIVE THE USE OF CARS AND SECURITY PERSONNEL TO PROTECT HIM. THE LAW ALLOWS FOR CERTAIN ELECTED OFFICIALS TO HAVE PROTECTION.

 

 

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