Kent Davis resigns from Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs following infighting with Gov. Kay Ivey

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — After days of infighting, the head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs has resigned from office.

On Monday, Gov. Kay Ivey’s staff confirmed that Kent Davis, who had been commissioner of the ADVA since 2019, had met with her that afternoon, where he gave her his resignation, which would be effective Dec. 31. Davis’ resignation comes days after Ivey had requested he step down, alleging that he had mishandled departmental affairs regarding American Rescue Plan Act funds and had not consulted with her office on matters.

Following Davis’ resignation, Ivey released the following statement:

“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. 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.”

Davis had previously declined Ivey’s request for him to resign, saying he had been transparent about how the ADVA had been run. As a result, Ivey had called for a special meeting of the State Board of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday to ask them to vote him out of office. Ivey has since canceled that meeting.

The month before Ivey had requested Davis’ resignation, he had filed an ethics complaint against Kim Boswell, head of the Alabama Department of Mental Health, alleging she and others worked to keep the ADVA from receiving $7 million in ARPA funds. The complaint was ultimately dismissed.

As of Monday night, Davis had not released a statement on his stepping down from office.

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