Governor Ivey removes AL Commissioner of Veterans Affairs after prolonged battle of words

Estee Morrison, WAKA Action 8 News,

Posted: Oct 22, 2024 11:10 PM CDT

Updated: Oct 23, 2024 4:25 PM CDT

The month-long war of words between Governor Kay Ivey and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis came to a dramatic end Tuesday as she removed him from his position. Governor Ivey first called for Davis’ resignation in early September after she alleged he mishandled the ARPA federal grant program and filed frivolous ethics complaints. Today at a board meeting at the Alabama State Capitol, Ivey hoped the board would vote him out, but that didn’t happen.

Just moments after the State Board of Veterans Affairs voted not to remove Commissioner Kent Davis from his position, he was notified via hand delivered letter to his attorney that he had been terminated by the governor.

Photo from the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs

“My dad was a combat wounded veteran. My wife is a retired Navy officer. My father-in-law was an Army chaplain. When I said on October 10 that it is part of every fiber in my body, I mean that. Taking care of veterans is, and it hurt deeply to be accused of things, and not only the personal impact, but all of the collateral damage and the potential for that. I took it very seriously. So, I’m very grateful today we got to clear the air about some things, and we had a wide ranging discussion and I was afforded the opportunity to answer some tough questions that should have been asked,” said Commissioner Kent Davis.

In the letter, Governor Kay Ivey invoked her “supreme executive power of the state” to remove Davis.

“Today the state board of Veterans Affairs failed to remove you immediately despite the ample legal causes I have publicly and repeatedly identified as justifying your removal. I therefore determine that your immediate removal is necessary to ensure that, going forward, the laws governing the department of veterans affairs will be properly executed and enforced.” – Gov. Kay Ivey

Casey Rogers is Governor Ivey’s External Affairs Director and sat in for the governor at Tuesday’s meeting. “The most immediate reason we are here today is because of the commissioner’s failure to honor his agreement with the governor and because he failed to respond to her letter. If he had done either of these two things, he would have been able to remain as commissioner through the end of the year and enjoyed a delayed exit,” said Rogers.

Dozens of veterans travelled from across the state and sat along the walls of the meeting room to show their support for Davis. Jim Jeffries is an Army Veteran and the Past Commander of the American Legion of Alabama. He drove from Fairhope with ten other veterans to attend the meeting.

“As veterans, we are recipients of what they do and I can tell you in the 21 years that I have been in Alabama, Davis is the best Commissioner, far beyond anything we’ve ever had. We’ve come so far in the past six years, and we’ve improved our national image, our veterans homes are some of the best in the nation. Under his leadership we have our first state veterans cemetery at Spanish Fort,” said Jeffries.

“Hopefully the Alabama Dept. of Veterans Affairs can continue taking care of our almost 400,000 veterans in the state. I simply go from being the commissioner of that department to the biggest fan,” said Davis. Retired Brigadier General Jeff Newton is now officially the Interim Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. Governor Ivey was not present at Tuesday’s meeting. To see Governor Ivey’s letter, click here.