MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey said Thursday in her first press conference as governor that her priorities would be steadying “the ship of state” and restoring the people’s trust in government. The new governor promised to restore Alabama's image.
“People all over the world, much less the nation, have all their eyes on Alabama, and it’s not for the right reasons," Ivey said. "That’s very troubling. People have lost trust in their government leaders.”
Ivey, 72, assumed the state’s highest post Monday after former Gov. Robert Bentley resigned over a sex scandal with a former top aide. In her first press conference at the State Capitol, the new governor set a broad, but vague, political agenda.
Ivey promised to turn the state around after its image and morale have been marred by criminal prosecutions of its two top officials, Bentley and former House Speaker Mike Hubbard — both within the course of one year
Bentley, accused of misusing state funds to facilitate an affair with a former top staffer, Rebekah Mason, left office as part of a plea bargain from prosecutors, agreeing to admit guilt to two misdemeanor charges.
“His actions were not complimentary to any of us,” Ivey said of Bentley, whom a Montgomery County circuit judge sentenced to 12 months unsupervised probation. The judge also ordered him to pay nearly $7,500 in fines.
Since taking office Monday, Ivey has been cleaning house. She has accepted the resignation of several top Bentley holdover staffers and cabinet members, including law enforcement secretary Stan Stabler; Jon Mason, Rebekah Mason's husband and SERVE Alabama director; and Ron Sparks, the director of the Governor's Office of Rural Development.
“Any time there is a transition or a change of administration, there are going to be changes,” Ivey said. “We’re going to be deliberate and consider and evaluate each one of the cabinet offices."
Between Hubbard, Bentley and Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was suspended last year for violating the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics, Alabama has lost its top three elected officials to ethics scandals.
“This is the people’s business, y’all,” Ivey said about the state's ethics laws. “This is the public’s money. This is not a personal agenda by any means.”
She promised to be supportive of efforts to strengthen and clarify the Alabama Ethics Act.
Ivey's most pressing decision now is whether to adjust the U.S. Senate special election date Bentley set before leaving office. The election, which will coincide with the 2018 statewide election, will be held to select permanent replacement for former Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is now U.S. attorney general.
Bentley appointed former Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange to Jessions' former post, to the disdain of many in the Alabama Legislature. Many legislators said Bentley's decision to appoint Strange — whose office was conducting a criminal investigation into the governor — was the "straw that broke the camel's back" on the question of impeachment.
Ivey said she would weigh whether to adjust the schedule, but seemed apprehensive about moving it now.
“There’s a limited time available to make a reasonable decision on that,” Ivey said. “If we move the date, it will cost about $15 million that will come straight out of the General Fund budget. So, while I have some concerns about the whole situation, I have to also be very mindful of the impact it will have.”
Ivey, an Auburn grad, is only the second female governor in Alabama’s history and first from the Republican Party. This isn't her first foray in breaking through the glass ceiling. In 2010, she became the first female Republican lieutenant governor.
She said Gov. Lurleen Wallace, the state’s first female governor, was an inspiration to her.
“She was a personal mentor to me,” Ivey said. “She was an inspiration to me in a lot of things. I’m honored to follow her.”
Ivey said she has not decided yet whether she will run for re-election next year.
“Right now, my focus has to be on the immediate priorities,” she said.
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