Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis seen in a video posted to the department’s Facebook page on Sept. 8, 2024. Ivey terminated Davis on Tuesday despite the State Board of Veterans Affairs voting to retain him during a special meeting called by the governor. (Screenshot via Facebook)
Gov. Kay Ivey Tuesday fired Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis, less than an hour after the State Board of Veterans Affairs voted to keep him as the head of the department.
The termination of Davis, announced 45 minutes after the board narrowly voted to retain Davis for the remainder of the year against Ivey’s wishes, came after a dispute over Davis’ handling of federal grants offered through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.
“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,” Ivey wrote in a letter to Davis. “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.”
Ivey appointed Jeffrey Newton as interim commissioner of the department. Messages seeking comment were left with the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and John Saxon, an attorney for Davis, on Tuesday.
The governor last month accused Davis of failing to comply with responsibilities required by state and federal law, including securing “additional services or benefits” for veterans and collaborating with other department heads. Ivey claimed Davis had been tardy in bringing grant proposals to the board and criticized him from bringing an ethics complaint against Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Kim Boswell, which was later dismissed.
A few days later, Davis agreed to step down at the end of the year. But last month, the board asked Davis to withdraw his resignation after a subcommittee found no wrongdoing with his handling of the money. Ivey last week called the meeting to immediately remove Davis, accusing Davis of manipulating members.
On Tuesday afternoon, it appeared that Davis had beaten back the governor’s attempt to have him removed after the board voted 3-2, with two abstentions, to allow him to serve until the end of the year.
“I am very grateful that there was a wide-ranging discussion,” Davis said in an interview with the media following the vote. “I was very happy to answer any questions that were posed today. I am just very proud of the Board that they were willing to ask the tough questions, and to give me an opportunity to answer their questions thoroughly, and I hope I did that today.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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