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Joe Hubbard is the 2010 Democratic Nominee for Alabama’s House District 73, centered in Montgomery. His family has long been involved in Alabama’s civic life, and he is committed to doing the same as an active member of the community. Mr. Hubbard believes that Alabama is facing problems with the state’s education, the lack of ethical practices ensuring train Montgomery, and economic development. He also believes that:


 * “Alabama is living on borrowed time and borrowed money, and that...[these issues] are not going to resolve themselves. We need to send someone to the Statehouse who is in the business of solutions, not empty promises and red tape.”

His policy platform focuses on three primary goals He wants to achieve for the people of Alabama House District 73. These are:
 * Job creation & re-employment;
 * Ethics reform;
 * Education improvement.

His opponent in the November 2, 2010 general election is incumbent Republican Alabama Representative Steve Grimes. Grimes is serving his first term, and was elected in 2002 to represent House Distict 73.

Hubbard's Roots
Joe Hubbard was born and raised in Montgomery, and is the seventh generation of his family to call the city home. For Joe, Montgomery is more than just a place where people live and work:


 * “It’s a hometown, where families are nurtured and futures are born.”

Mr. Hubbard is committed to making Montgomery a place his children, and those of all Montgomery residents, can call home, both now, and as working adults.

Education & Family
After high school, Joe worked his way through Huntingdon College where he graduated at the top of his class in 2003 before attending Cumberland School of Law. Following law school Joe married his college sweet-heart, the former Ashley Dobbs, and they moved back to Montgomery.

Career
After graduating law school in 2006, Joe served as a law clerk to Justice Champ Lyons on the Alabama Supreme Court Following his clerkship, Joe chose to practice law in Montgomery like his father before him, and joined the firm of Webb & Eley where he represents local municipalities and law enforcement officials all over the State. Earlier in his career, Joe served as a legislative analyst to the Alabama House of Representatives Standing Committee on Public Safety. In that capacity he wrote and reviewed legislation affecting the health and welfare of the citizens of Alabama.

Commitment to Public Service & Civic Responsibility
Joe was raised with a strong sense of civic responsibility. He is an active member of the Montgomery Kiwanis Club and serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama National Fair. Joe is a life-long member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, where he has served as the youth minister and now serves on the Vestry. Joe lives in Montgomery with his wife, Ashley, and his son, Hill.

Joe inherited his commitment to public service from his great-grandfather, and namesake, Joseph Lister Hill an Alabama Congressman and Senator for nearly a half-century. Embracing his great-grandfather’s legacy, Joe understands that:


 * “Public office is not about one person or one party; it is about being responsive to the needs of all persons of all parties.”

Mr. Hubbard intends bring to our Statehouse a spirit of cooperation and statesmanship that will help put Alabama's house back in order.

Joe Hubbard’s Policy Agenda
Mr. Hubbard has put forward three primary goals for the people of Montgomery while representing House District 73. These are:
 * Job creation & re-employment;
 * Ethics reform;
 * Education improvement.

Joe Hubbard's Job Creation & Re-Employment Plan
Mr. Hubbard believes the biggest challenge facing Montgomery residents is putting people back to work. In March of 2010, Montgomery's unemployment rate was 11.1% and it remains higher than the national unemployment rate


 * "Businesses and workers alike will benefit from a fair tax system that rewards the hiring of qualified employees off the unemployment rolls."

Mr. Hubbard's job plan intends to grow Montgomery's local economy and put people back to work by helping small businesses to create quality, sustainable jobs by providing new tax incentives to new and existing businesses to hire unemployed workers. . His economic vision for Montgomery is that to work with Montgomery’s city and county governments and the State government to put Montgomery in a position to capitalize on our state’s fasting growing industries: manufacturing, tourism, and healthcare.


 * “I believe business and industry follow investment, and if we invest in our community, jobs will follow."

Montgomery already has become an attractive destination for businesses and citizens alike due to past infrastructure investment. Joe believes more investment in Montgomery's infrastructure and public services will create a thriving local economic environment where businesses will grow and hire more workers. He also believes that small businesses are the foundation of our city’s economy, and we must nurture them.

Joe Hubbard’s Ethics Reform Agenda
In the wake of state and national political scandals, including a federal investigation into Alabama legislators and the gaming industry, Joe is committed to restoring accountability and increasing transparency in our State government to earn back the public trust. Joe believes this includes disclosing all business conducted in the Statehouse and ending the “closed door’ attitude where king–makers work behind the scenes without public scrutiny.”


 * “The people of this community deserve to know where their representative stands on the issues that affect them, just as they deserve to know what special interests are trying to influence that position.”

Strengthen Ethics Laws
Alabama's ethics laws are among the weakest in the nation, and the Alabama's Ethics Commission (include hyperlink) is the only such agency in the country that lacks the power to subpoena documents and witnesses. In fact, the state recently was rated the fourth most corrupt State in the United States. Mr. Hubbard believes that:


 * "Our State Ethics Commission should be given the authority to investigate and stop corruption before a grand jury gets involved.".

Additionally, in the past he has stated that:


 * “The only way we are going to put an end to corruption in our Statehouse is to shed light on the political process by strengthening and enforcing the ethics laws we have.”

Disclose Expenditures
Joe believes that Alabama’s ethics system is broken. He is committed to ensuring that lobbyists and special interests are required to report annually all expenditures they make on an elected official. In Joe’s words:

"We must shed light on all expenditures used to influence political decisions in our Statehouse, no matter how big or small."

Ban PAC-To-PAC Transfers
One of issues most frequently cited regarding ethics reform in Alabama is PAC-to-PAC transfers. By allowing PACs to transfer money to each other, politicians have been able to hide who funds their campaigns. Mr. Hubbard believes that no public official should accept a campaign contribution that he would be ashamed to reveal to the people he represents. Mr. Hubbard supports banning the transfer of political money between PACs. Mr. Hubbard believes that Alabama can only achieve political accountability to the electorate with this type of transparency.

Mr. Hubbard has observed that: "Our laws, today, essentially authorize laundering political money through a PAC-to-PAC shell game."

Joe's Hubbard’s Education Reform Agenda
Mr. Hubbard claims his education plan will ensure that Alabama's tax dollars are spent with one goal in mind: to give our children get excellence in the classroom.

Excellent Teachers
Mr. Hubbard has stated that, next to parents, teachers are the most influential people in a child's life, and that teaching our children cannot be a "fall-back career." His education plan focuses on retaining and supporting our excellent teachers, while recruiting excellent teachers for tomorrow. Mr. Hubbard proposes to enact a program called Teach for Alabama to recruit excellent teachers. This program will offer scholarships to students attending Alabama’s state universities to enable them to become the educators of tomorrow in exchange for a commitment to teach in Alabama schools. He believes that keeping our best and brightest here at home to teach the next generation is greatest gift we can give our children.

Excellent Schools
Montgomery Alabama’s county Magnet schools consistently graduate some of the top students in Montgomery. Mr. Hubbard proposes to improve Alabama’s public education system by implementing a state-wide Magnet school program modeled on Montgomery success. He believes implementing such education reform will help all Alabama communities offer the educational innovation and flexibility available in Montgomery. It also will help raise the quality of all Montgomery schools.

Tools For Excellence
If we want to see returns on our investments in education, we must give our children the tools for success in the classroom. Excellent teachers and excellent schools are important, and that:


 * "Our children must also have the right tools in place to ensure that they are prepared for school and are always reaching their highest potential."

Mr. Hubbard supports enacting a state-wide Pre-K program to ensure Alabama’s children have the most stable foundation for their education. He also believes it is imperative to continue funding effective programs like the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative.

The Clean Campaign Pledge & Push Poll Controversy
In June 10, 2010, Joe Hubbard and incumbent State Representative David Grimes both signed a Clean Campaign pledge on the steps of the Alabama Statehouse. In July, 2010 the Alabama Republican Party conducted a poll of the legislative districts. The Alabama GOP maintains that the poll was conducted to identify the best places for the party to allocate its financial resources during the 2010 general election. Mr. Hubbard believes the poll violates the spirit of the Clean Campaign pledge due to the inclusion of a number of misleading questions, and that it is a push poll designed to hurt his credibility among district voters.