Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is calling for the resignation of Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis after she alleged that the agency “mishandled” a grant program through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Ivey’s request that Davis resign was provided in a one-page letter the governor’s office sent out to the media on Thursday. The letter also states that she removed John Kilpatrick from his position as a member on the State Board of Veterans’ Affairs.
Ivey called for Davis to resign by 5 p.m. on Thursday. That did not happen, prompting the governor to release the following statement, “I am disappointed Commissioner Davis did not have the decency to respond and therefore, did not choose to do the right thing for the future of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and veterans statewide. I am prepared to take further action.”
In her letter to Davis, Ivey said there was “ample cause” for his removal.”
“For example, your agency mishandled an ARPA grant program by, among other things, proposing — on a substantially delayed basis — uses of grant funds that would be ineligible under U.S. Treasury rules and regulations and/or state law or policy,” Ivey wrote to Davis.
Ivey said the handling of the grant money “put in jeopardy” Alabama’s ability to “fulfill its obligations under ARPA and your agency’s ability to most effectively serve veterans. It thus seriously calls into question…
