Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) commissioner Kent Davis recently filed an ethics complaint against Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) commissioner Kim Boswell for allegedly preventing ADVA from obtaining $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
According to an ethics complaint obtained by Lagniappe on Friday, Davis blamed Boswell, ADMH officials and lobbyists for preventing ADVA from receiving funding from ARPA, as well as the state’s opioid settlements, and lobbying against the ADVA-backed Veterans Access to Care Act.
Davis told 1819 News on Friday that the complaint stemmed from allegations made by members of the State Board of Veterans. Usually, ethics complaints filed with the Alabama Ethics Commission remain confidential until the commission rules on the complaint's validity. Davis said he didn’t know how the complaint got leaked.
“In July, I was approached by several members of the State Board of Veterans Affairs with specific allegations of what they considered ethics concerns and I explained to them, ‘Look, if you bring this to my attention formally like this, I’m obligated under state law to bring it to the attention of the Ethics Commission.’ So, that’s what I did. Literally, under state law, I was a city manager before and faced this when people approached me with allegations of ethics violations I’m obligated as a department head or the head of an agency to bring it to the attention of the State Ethics Commission. So, that’s what I did. I did my duty under state law,” Davis said. “I’m sorry the confidentiality on this was broken. I can’t imagine how it happened.”
A spokesperson for ADMH didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment after business hours on Friday.
It will likely be several months before the ethics commission rules on the complaint
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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