MOBILE, Ala. — With 69 days left before Governor-elect Tommy Tuberville takes the oath of office, the Ivey Tuberville transition is already underway, and Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration has made clear that an orderly handoff is a top priority. The commitment came into focus Tuesday, Nov. 10, at a Mobile Chamber luncheon at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa, where business and civic leaders gathered to celebrate a governor who has led Alabama for more than nine years.
The event was likely Ivey’s final visit to the Port City as Alabama’s sitting governor. It turned into a farewell tribute, complete with proclamations, praise from state and local leaders, and a reminder of how abruptly her time in the state’s top office began.
What the Ivey Tuberville Transition Will Look Like
Ivey’s office said the outgoing administration will work through Jan. 18, the date Tuberville is set to be sworn in, to make sure the change of leadership is open, orderly and complete. The administration has pledged to share all relevant facts and information with the incoming team so that Tuberville and his staff are prepared to govern on day one.
According to the governor’s office, Ivey spoke with Tuberville by phone after the election. She is also expected to meet soon with the governor-elect and his wife, Suzanne, to discuss the next steps in the handoff. No date for that meeting has been announced.
A spokesperson for the governor said the commitment to a smooth transition matters not only to the state but is also deeply personal for Ivey, and that she has made that commitment directly to the governor-elect.
Why the handoff is personal
The emphasis on preparation traces back to April 10, 2017. That day, then-Gov. Robert Bentley resigned while facing the prospect of impeachment amid allegations that he had tried to conceal an affair. Ivey, then the lieutenant governor, was sworn in as Alabama’s 54th governor with roughly three hours to prepare for the job.
Her office said that compressed timeline left a lasting impression and shaped her determination to give the next governor the kind of runway she never had.
A Turbulent Era Before Ivey Took Office
Bentley’s resignation capped a difficult stretch in Montgomery. Around the same period, a former speaker of the Alabama House was convicted on ethics charges and removed from office, and the state’s chief justice was suspended from serving on the Alabama Supreme Court.
Speakers at Tuesday’s luncheon returned to that backdrop again and again. A Mobile-area state lawmaker described the state as being in a bad position when Ivey took over. He said she promised to steady state government and fix its problems, and he credited her tenure with gains in education, transportation and broadband access. Above all, he said, she kept her pledge never to bring disgrace to Alabama, and he described her service as marked by honor and dignity.
A former senior member of Ivey’s staff offered a similar assessment. He called the period surrounding her swearing-in a dark time for Alabama government, one that people across the state still remember even if it is rarely discussed today. He said it was not an easy moment to step into leadership, and he credited Ivey with providing transparent and honest leadership that served Alabama well.
Honors, Proclamations and a No. 54 Jersey
The crowd at the chamber forum included a host of local leaders and elected officials, most of them Republicans. Ivey received numerous proclamations during the program, along with a University of South Alabama Jaguars football jersey bearing the No. 54, a nod to her place in history as the state’s 54th governor.
Ivey’s time in office has been marked by comfortable election wins in 2018 and 2022 and approval ratings that have stayed consistently high. Several current and former officials said she will be remembered as one of the most popular governors Alabama has ever had. A former Mobile mayor told the audience he hopes history records her as the state’s most popular governor and called her the best governor Alabama has had.
Coastal Projects That Defined Her Tenure in Mobile
Much of the tribute focused on what the Ivey years have meant for Mobile and southwest Alabama. Coastal officials pointed to a series of projects that moved forward under her administration:
- Mobile ship channel: The Rebuild Alabama Act of 2019 directed $150 million toward deepening and widening the Mobile ship channel, a key investment for the Port of Mobile and the region’s shipping economy.
- Mobile International Airport: Leaders credited the administration with supporting the planned Mobile International Airport.
- Waterfront parks: Ivey allocated money from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, known as GOMESA, to waterfront park projects.
- I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway: The $4.15 billion project officially kicked off last month after years of setbacks and funding shortfalls.
The bridge as a capstone
Of all the projects mentioned, the Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway drew the most attention. The plan calls for a new 215-foot-tall cable-stayed bridge over the Mobile River and two additional lanes in each direction along the I-10 Bayway toward Daphne. The project depends heavily on tolls and has been the subject of intense controversy since 2019.
The former Mobile mayor described the bridge as the crowning achievement of Ivey’s infrastructure record. He said the project had been declared dead many times over the years and survived only because of her persistence.
For drivers who cross Mobile Bay every day, the project represents a long-awaited answer to congestion at the George Wallace Tunnels and on the Bayway, which carries I-10 traffic between Mobile and the Eastern Shore.
Who Is Tommy Tuberville?
Tuberville, a Republican, has served as one of Alabama’s two U.S. senators since 2021. Before entering politics, he was best known as a college football coach, most notably at Auburn University. His election as governor sets up a shift from the Senate to the state’s executive branch, and the coming weeks will be devoted to building out his administration and preparing for the start of his term.
Alabama governors traditionally take office in mid-January, and the transition period gives the incoming team time to review state agencies, budgets and ongoing programs before assuming responsibility for them.
What Happens Next
Between now and Jan. 18, the outgoing administration plans to work closely with the governor-elect’s team to brief them on state operations. The anticipated meeting between Ivey and the Tubervilles is expected to lay out the next steps, though no timetable has been released.
For Mobile, Tuesday’s luncheon served as both a thank-you and a look ahead. Many of the projects celebrated during the program, from the bridge to the airport to the ship channel, will continue under the next administration. Residents can follow official updates on the transition through the Office of the Governor and find more coverage of state leadership on our Alabama State Government page.
