Gov. Kay Ivey removed Kent Davis as commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Tuesday afternoon.
The governor's office says she made the decision after the State Board of Veterans Affairs failed to remove him earlier in the day.
Ivey used the “supreme executive power of this state†to immediately remove Davis from his position. Here is Ivey's statement:
“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.â€Â
You can find the full letter from the governor on this decision below:
"Dear Admiral Davis:
"The Alabama Constitution confers on the governor the "supreme executive power of this state." According to our State Supreme Court, this means at a minimum that a governor may take action to enforce the laws whenever he or she determines that such action is necessary because of "inaction or inadequate action" by a subordinate within the executive branch of government.
"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.
"By copy of this letter, you are hereby removed as Commissioner for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and, pursuant to the Board's vote at its October 10th meeting, Jeffrey L. Newton is now Interim Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. The relevant state officials, including Interim Commissioner Newton, are hereby directed to take the necessary steps to effectuate this removal.
Sincerely,
Kay Ivey"
