During a Wednesday appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth apparently criticized Gov. Kay Ivey for her support of legislation putting the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) commissioner under the governor's control.
The bill recently passed the Senate by a 21-9 margin and is awaiting consideration by the House of Representatives.
The bill shifts the ADVA commissioner's hiring and firing responsibility to the governor. The role currently answers to the State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA). It also turns the SBVA into an advisory board.
Ivey has argued the bill is needed to "elevate" veterans' representation in state government. Former ADVA commissioner Kent Davis has said the bill is "retaliation" for his ethics complaint against a member of Ivey's cabinet last year.
Ainsworth, who has been very vocal against the bill, told host Jeff Poor that the haste effort to change the ADVA commissioner role was a "power play."
"I don't think people of Alabama like this bill," he declared. "It's better than what it started off, right? Initially, it was all political appointments. Now at least it's your, you know, veteran service organizations that make the appointment, so that's better. [The] problem is the board still lost a lot of authority and power. And you know, my thing's this, right? You know, something's not broke, right? Why are we fixing it?"
"And so, in my whole thing, that's been our whole message all along," Ainsworth continued. "Like, you know, we're the number two state for veterans to retire in. Now, there's some issues with the federal VA, right, in access to care and all that. But the state, I don't recall getting one complaint from anybody on anything that was going on with the state. And so, my thought process on this is like, you know, I think when you start looking at the motives, it becomes clear that this is about, you know, just trying a power play."
"Personalities, right?" Poor asked.
"That's right," Ainsworth replied. "And so, to me, I don't know, I just don't, I don't like that, right? I think, you know, you got to take that stuff out of it, do its best for the state."
"I think the system we had worked. I think the issue there was there was a power struggle, right? And but, I think at the end of the day, veterans are going to do what's best to take care of themselves, right? I mean, come on. I mean, and I think we had a good system," he added. "I certainly think the bill improved in the Senate by the changes they made was good. But I still think that overall, you know, we all just keep the way it is and, you know, that the bill, you know, I think there's we'll see what happens. But I think there's a decent shot it dies in the House."
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