As Alabama approaches another election cycle, it's time to tally the devastating cost of Gov. Kay Ivey's reign of incompetence and failed leadership.
Ivey's tenure is a grim chronicle of mismanagement, personal grudges, broken promises, and betrayal, leaving our state languishing while neighbors like Georgia and Tennessee surge in progress and prosperity. The price of Ivey's incompetence is staggering, and Alabama will bear the scars of her failures long after she's gone. Here are just a few of her "successes."
The gas tax, passed in 2019 as the Rebuild Alabama Act, was sold as a lifeline for our crumbling infrastructure. Ivey promised it would fund critical road and bridge repairs, with assurances of eventual relief. Yet the 10-cent-per-gallon increase, indexed to rise with inflation, remains a relentless burden on Alabamians, designed to only increase.
Our roads tell the real story: Interstate 65's perpetual congestion, rural highways like State Highway 21 riddled with potholes, and bridges like the I-59/20 span in Birmingham deemed structurally deficient. Roads like U.S. Highway 231 in Dothan are riddled with cracks, and bridges like the Wallace Tunnel face constant maintenance delays. Over $1 billion collected, but where's the progress? Ivey's failure to deliver tangible improvements while keeping the tax in place is a betrayal of every driver.
The sunset of the overtime tax exemption this past June is another blow to Alabama's working families. This policy, allowing workers to keep more of their hard-earned overtime pay, quietly expired under Ivey's watch. For nurses in Mobile working double shifts or factory workers in Huntsville clocking extra hours, this means hundreds of dollars less each year – money that could have paid for groceries or school supplies. At a time when inflation has driven up basic costs, Ivey's decision to let this relief vanish is a callous disregard for the backbone of our economy. There is no doubt that "Republicans" in Alabama are anything but … this pack of charlatans' modus operandi is tax, tax and tax some more, lying to the citizens of this once-great state.
The mega prison project, launched in 2021, is a fiscal catastrophe. Touted as a solution to Alabama's overcrowded and inhumane prison system, the $1.2 billion Elmore County facility has basically doubled in cost since 2021. Reports of mismanagement – shoddy contractor oversight, delayed construction, and inadequate staffing plans – have turned it into a symbol of Ivey's incompetence. Meanwhile, the prison system remains under federal scrutiny for violence and neglect.
The new State House project is equally disastrous: initially budgeted at $200 million, costs have soared past $300 million, with no transparent accounting for the overruns. These aren't missteps; they're egregious failures squandering taxpayer dollars on Ivey's vanity projects.
On illegal immigration, Ivey's inaction is glaring. Alabama's 2011 immigration law, once a national model, was effectively neutered under her watch. Federal data shows over 60,000 undocumented immigrants in Alabama as of 2023, yet Ivey fails to push for stronger enforcement or border security measures. Local sheriffs in counties like Etowah report strained resources, with no state support to address the influx. This isn't just a policy failure, it's an abandonment of the governor's duty to prioritize citizens' safety and economic interests.
Rural broadband penetration is also abysmal. Over 20% of rural Alabamians lack high-speed internet, per 2024 FCC data, crippling education and small businesses. Wonder why our economic growth is amongst the worst in the nation? Look no further than the lack of high-speed broadband connectivity even in Montgomery. I have 3-wire DSL at my home in South Montgomery … you read that right, 3-wire DSL on standard RG-11 phone line. Let that sink in for a minute. Cellular dead zones plague counties like Wilcox and Choctaw, isolating residents.
The Port of Mobile, despite a $200 million federal grant in 2022, has seen sluggish expansion under Ivey's neglect, losing ground and business to ports in Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C.
Ivey's treatment of veterans is dishonorable and shameful. Her mishandling of SB67, a recent bill meant to take over the State Board of Veterans Affairs and politicize it by making it a cabinet position serving at the governor's direction, gutted an effective organ successfully existing since the end of World War II, which was a source of pride for Alabama's veterans. The removal of Admiral Kent Davis as Veterans Affairs commissioner, reportedly over personal disputes and missing ARPA funds, has sparked a federal lawsuit alleging retaliation, finding Ivey in a very precarious position. This is a direct affront to Alabama's 400,000 veterans. Her claim of "supreme executive power" to justify such moves smacks of authoritarianism, sidelining the people's will and exposing her for what she really is … a dictator in a dress.
The ousting of Col. Doug "Cinco" DeMaio from the 187th Fighter Wing – a thought leader and subject matter expert with near-peer adversaries such as China, and a visionary in the field of Space Warfare – under her watch is yet another mark of Ivey's dim wit, muddled mind, and myopic ignorance for the war fighter. Such personally motivated actions threaten the very nature of our national defense posture, posing an existential threat to our nation and clearly exhibiting disregard for military integrity and readiness.
Ivey's legacy is a trail of destruction replete with ever-increasing taxes, aging and inadequate infrastructure, betrayed workers, squandered billions, disrespected veterans, and eroded sovereignty. Alabama becomes less competitive by the day, and the enormous butcher's bill is now ours to pay. In 2026, we must demand leadership that restores our state's potential and returns confidence in our institutions. To allow any more incompetence would be disheartening, disastrous and disgraceful.
Troy Carico is a former infantry enlisted soldier (11B) and infantry officer with branch qualifications including counterintelligence (35E) and military intelligence (35D). He served with distinction in the U.S. Army for more than 22 years and is highly decorated and service-connected disabled. He also has prior service as a civilian intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency Great Skills Program and has served in numerous clandestine assignments throughout the world.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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