MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding Alabama Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis, Scott Gedling, vice chair of the State Board of Veterans Affairs, said Davis must “step aside” for the good of the agency, and claimed the commissioner “manipulated” board members to “serve his own interests.”
Gedling’s comments come from a letter obtained by Alabama Daily News in which he called on them to urge Davis to step down from his position leading the department.
“I stand by my word when I said that Commissioner Davis has done some really good things as commissioner, and I will always be grateful for these accomplishments,” the letter reads. “However, today, I believe that he has manipulated me and the board to keep his job and serve his own interests.”
Last month, Davis submitted his resignation – effective at the end of the year – at the behest of Gov. Kay Ivey, who alleged that the ADVA, under Davis’ leadership, had “mishandled” a federal grant program.
Ivey’s call for Davis to resign came shortly after leaked documents revealed Davis had filed an ethics complaint against Kim Boswell, head of the Alabama Department of Mental Health and member of Ivey’s cabinet.
He initially refused Ivey’s request, but Davis ultimately submitted his resignation, much to the shock of many in Alabama’s veteran community, including a sizable portion of the state board members, who last week voted unanimously to ask Davis to reconsider his decision to step down.
While the vote was unanimous, Gedling, as vice chair of the board, was initially hesitant to the idea of asking Davis to reconsider his decision, cautioning his fellow board members that the agreement for him to resign was decided after what was a private meeting between the commissioner and Ivey and her staff.
The board’s vote last week to ask Davis to reconsider his resignation was seen as a rebuke of Ivey, whose spokesperson Wednesday, when pressed for comment, directed us to the governor’s previous statement in which she said the board demonstrated a “lack of leadership.”
On the board’s vote, Gedling argued in the letter that it was made under “extreme pressure” from Davis himself.
“In truth, Commissioner Davis, along with a few others in the veteran community, orchestrated the outcome of votes by placing extreme pressure on some of you to do and say things that went against your beliefs and the very principles on which this board should stand,” he wrote.
Gedling also noted that the board’s actions had likely ostracized its members from the good will of Ivey and state lawmakers, who overwhelmingly sided with the governor on the matter.
“I also now believe that (Davis’) actions have brought the board itself into disfavor with the governor and the Legislature – elected officials we must always have on our side if we are going to serve our mission,” Gedling wrote.
“For this reason, I am convinced that Commissioner Davis must step aside. I hope you will join me in urging him to do so.”
Davis was not available for comment Wednesday, according to Brandon Miller, ADVA spokesperson, who told ADN the commissioner was “visiting Veterans Services Offices across portions of the state.”
While the future of the board and the department itself remains uncertain, Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, who chairs the House Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, told ADN that both he and Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, who chairs the Senate version of the same committee, believe it’s time for a change.
Davis and previous commissioners have been appointed by the veterans board. Besides the governor, the board is made up of representatives nominated to the governor from several veterans’ organizations, including the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.
“Andrew Jones and I both have made our committees very proactive, and we’re trying to help the ADVA anyway we can, and it’s not about getting our way, it’s about deciding how to run an agency the way we believe it should be done,” Oliver told ADN.
“…I support the Speaker and I support the governor, and I agree that it’s time for a change in the way that we operate ADVA.”
Gedling’s full letter to the members of the Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs can be viewed below: