ACTION 8 UPDATE: Gov. Ivey invokes “supreme executive power” to remove Commissioner Davis after board votes not to remove him
Photo from the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs
ACTION 8 UPDATE: In an unprecedented move, Governor Kay Ivey has invoked her “supreme executive power of the state” to remove Davis from his position immediately, after the State Board of Veteran’s Affairs voted less than an hour earlier not to remove Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis.
Two board members voted to remove Davis, three others voted to keep him and two board members abstained.
The vote happened at a specially-called meeting that Ivey had arranged.
As Action 8 News has reported, in early September, Ivey called for Davis’ resignation. The request came after alleged mishandling of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal grant program by proposing uses of grant funds that would be ineligible under U.S. Treasury rules and regulations and/or state law or policy.
Ivey said that would have put in jeopardy the State of Alabama’s ability to fulfill its obligation under ARPA and the agency’s ability to effectively serve veterans.
At the same time, Ivey removed John Kilpatrick from his position as a member of the State Board of Veterans Affairs.
A few days later, Ivey said she and members of her senior staff met with Davis and he agreed to resign effective December 31.
Last week, Ivey had sent a letter to Davis informing him that she would seek his removal for cause, based on what she said was a general lack of cooperation, mishandling of ARPA grant program, filing of a frivolous ethics complaint, breach of agreement, manipulation of the board, failure to comply and a general loss of trust and confidence.
In the letter, Ivey said Davis breached his resignation agreement because he failed to “publicly and privately explain that all then-outstanding issues concerning the ARPA grant program had been resolved.” She said he broke a promise when he didn’t speak about it during an October 9 meeting of the State Board of Veterans Affairs’ subcommittee on Veterans Benefits and Services and “you further broke this promise by your failure to clearly put these matters behind us during the October 10, 2024, regular meeting of the Board.”
