Alabama’s new governor hires PR firm

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office is hiring an outside firm to do communications and public relations work for Ivey, who was suddenly catapulted to the governor’s office this spring.

Under the contract, the governor’s office will use state funds to pay $46,000 to Direct Response, LLC over the next six months. The contract description says the firm will do “communications and public relations support, external affairs development.”

The Alabama governor’s office has its own press office with several state-paid employees who send out news releases and answer reporters’ questions. Ivey spokeswoman Eileen Jones in an emailed statement said Direct Response is needed to “support the ongoing transition to the Ivey Administration on a number of topics.”

“Direct Response is a PR firm that did contract work for the Lt. Governor’s office for two years and has worked in the transition. The contract is to allow them to continue work on PR support and messaging strategy as the Ivey administration continues to steady the ship of state,” the statement read.

The firm was founded by Brent Buchanan, a Montgomery-based political consultant, who will be performing the work for Ivey. State records show the lieutenant governor’s office paid Direct Response $66,581 in fiscal year 2012 and $39,600 in 2011 for writing work.

Buchanan said his job will be to work on whatever the governor’s priorities are, adding that it was a role he filled for her first two years as lieutenant governor.

Jones said governors typically have a two-month transition period between being elected in November and taking office in January. She said Ivey did not have that typical transition period after she was catapulted into the governor’s office in one day by the sudden resignation of Gov. Robert Bentley in April.

Bentley resigned amid fallout from an alleged affair with a staffer. He announced his resignation on the same day the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings.