Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis has resigned, effective December 31, 2024, after escalating tension with Governor Kay Ivey and state leaders. His resignation comes after an earlier refusal to step down, despite Ivey’s request and a looming vote by the State Board of Veterans Affairs to remove him from his position.
Davis’ decision was the product of a meeting with Ivey and her senior staff earlier today, ending a showdown with his agreement to step down from a role he has held since 2019.
“Caring for our country’s veterans is something I have been passionate about throughout my life, and especially throughout my tenure as lieutenant governor and now as governor. Alabama veterans are a priority for the Ivey Administration, and we cannot let anything stand in the way of their care,” Governor Ivey said on Monday afternoon.
“Our meeting with Commissioner Davis today was respectful, frank, and informative, with both sides gaining new perspective and insight about the challenges each of us face in fulfilling our respective roles. I appreciate Commissioner Davis’s record of service as Commissioner, and I appreciate him doing the right thing for our state and the future of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. As I have said before, we have important work to continue doing, and I want to see nothing get in the way of us remaining focused on the thing that truly matters here – improving veterans’ care.”
RELATED: Alabama legislative leadership calls on VA Commissioner to resign after years of ‘growing concerns’
According to her office, the governor cancelled a meeting of the State Board of Veterans Affairs scheduled for tomorrow, and will work with members of the to make preparations for filling the post when it becomes vacant at the end of this year.
The situation erupted publicly last Thursday when Ivey formally requested Davis’s resignation, citing “ample cause” for his removal. The governor pointed to mishandling of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program as the primary factor. According to Ivey, the ADVA had proposed uses for the ARPA funds that were ineligible under federal guidelines and jeopardized the state’s compliance with federal regulations.
Davis was given a 5 p.m. deadline last Thursday to tender his resignation in order to continue to serve until the end of September 2024. He didn’t respond to the governor’s request until the next day, at which point he said he would not resign.
On Thursday, Ivey also took the action of removing John Kilpatrick from the Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs, which oversees the ADVA commissioner.
RELATED: VA Commissioner rejects Governor Ivey’s resignation request, Board will now vote on his removal
An interrelated conflict between Commissioner Davis and the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) was brought into the light of day, stemming from an ethics complaint Davis filed against ADMH Commissioner Kim Boswell, in which he alleged that Boswell colluded with others to block the ADVA from receiving approximately $7 million in ARPA funds.
The Alabama Ethics Commission reviewed the complaint and found it to be baseless. Afterward, Governor Ivey publicly criticized the complaint as “entirely frivolous,” in an indication of reports that Davis had used numerous ethics complaints to damage the credibility of the state employees and professionals he viewed as responsible for his department’s inability to secure federal funds through the legislative process.
The existence and content of complaints to the Alabama Ethics Commission are confidential under threat of criminal penalties for their disclosure. However, the complaint Commissioner Davis levied against Commissioner Boswell was leaked to news media exactly one month ago from today.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270
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