Montgomery, AL – Yesterday, Governor Kay Ivey exercised what she called the “supreme executive power of this state” to remove Kent Davis from his position as Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. This decision followed the State Board of Veterans Affairs’ earlier failure to remove Davis from office.
In a statement issued shortly after the decision, Governor Ivey emphasized her reasons for taking this step.
“For weeks now, I have laid out the case publicly for why new leadership at the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs is necessary, and it is unfortunate it came to forcefully removing this agency head. After what I would now deem as a total failure of leadership at the Department and lack of cooperation, I had to use the mantle of the Governor’s Office to make the change. While there is more work to do, I am confident that together as one team, our state government can make Alabama an even better place for veterans to call home,” said Governor Ivey.
Davis’s attorney, John Saxon, expressed concerns over the legality of the governor’s actions. In a statement to the Calhoun Journal, Saxon indicated potential legal challenges ahead.
“We plan to look very carefully at all of the legal options. We are not certain that the governor has the legal authority to remove the commissioner. We will also be looking seriously at the prospect of filing a lawsuit under the retaliation provision of the state ethics act, and if we do that, I will look forward to zealously taking the governor’s deposition and seeing how she does under oath when she’s unscripted,” Saxon stated.
The controversy centers on what Governor Ivey has described as a “total failure of leadership” within the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, though no specifics were provided regarding the alleged issues. Davis’s potential response and the ensuing legal proceedings may bring further clarity to the matter in the coming weeks.
