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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gov. Robert Bentley removed Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins as a trustee of Alabama State University after Wiggins refused the governor's request to resign.
Bentley, who is president of the Alabama State board of trustees, had given trustee Chairman Elton Dean and Vice Chairman Wiggins until Thursday afternoon to resign. Dean did, but Wiggins refused and said he had done nothing wrong.
Bentley sent Wiggins a letter Friday saying he was using his authority as governor to remove him immediately "out of deep concern for the future of ASU, the student body, its faculty, its accreditation and financial standing." A few hours later, the governor's office announced Bentley had appointed Ralph D. Ruggs, executive director of the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority, to fill the remainder of Wiggins' term on the board.
Wiggins, a judge for several west Alabama counties, said he will review Bentley's actions with attorneys. He said his options include filing suit or continuing to serve and forcing the governor to take legal action.
The governor said the state law prohibits a trustee from being financially interested in any contract the university has. But he said Wiggins' wife received more than $30,000 as director of a camp hosted by the university and Wiggins' sister-in-law got hired to teach at Alabama State despite being a disbarred lawyer. Bentley said Wiggins violated his duty as a trustee by not informing the university president and the board of trustees that his sister-in-law had been disbarred in North Carolina.
The governor wrote that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools gave Alabama State a six-month warning on July 9, and one of the reasons the accrediting agency cited was Wiggins having "a familial conflict of interest."
Bentley also noted that Moody's Investors Services downgraded Alabama State's bond rating on July 17 and issued a negative outlook for the Montgomery university.
"Each of the above incidents, standing alone, is sufficient to justify your removal as a trustee of Alabama State University," Bentley wrote.
Wiggins said state law allows the governor to remove a trustee for a violation of state law, but the issue is who determines the violation and what process to use. He accused Bentley of violating his due-process rights with the quick removal. "He denied it because he based it on his attempt to control the board and control ASU," Wiggins said.
Bentley noted in his letter that the president of the campus Student Government Association, the president of the alumni association and the chair of the Faculty Senate also had called for Wiggins' resignation or removal.
Bentley appoints Alabama State trustees subject to approval by the Alabama Senate, and he can name Wiggins' replacement.
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