The head of an Iowa Senate committee looking into the hiring and firing practices of the Branstad administration is warning that the governor’s department heads may face tough prospects for reappointment in the Iowa Senate.
The democratic-controlled Senate Oversight committee Tuesday released its recommendations which one minority Republican called political theater.
The committee subpoenaed witnesses from across the Branstad administration. Their recommendations include new whistleblower protections for state workers, and due process for workers placed on a do not hire list. Iowa Workforce Development Director Teresa Wahlert came under scrutiny. Des Moines democrat Janet Peterson questions whether the Iowa Senate will reconfirm her if Governor Branstad is re-elected and asks Wahlert to stay on.
"I don’t see a pathway for her to be reappointed. I don't think the state of Iowa should tolerate that type of leadership," Peterson says.
Democrats questioned IWD policy which they say politicized Iowa’s worker’s unemployment compensation system. Peterson says other Branstad managers might also have trouble winning reconfirmation. The committee called witnesses from the Department of Administrative Services and the Public Employment Relations Board.