Governor-elect Terry Branstad has asked a former political opponent to head a state agency.
State Representative Rod Roberts will head the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals for Branstad. Roberts ran against Branstad for the Republican Party’s 2010 gubernatorial nomination, garnering about nine percent of the vote in the June primary.
In a prepared statement, Branstad said Roberts has a “great reputation throught the entire state.”
The agency Roberts will head oversees the licensing, inspections and certification of restaurants, nursing homes, grocery stores and casinos in the state. In a written statement issued by Branstad’s transition office, Roberts said he’ll “work hard to ensure that the health and safety of Iowans is a top priority and to make sure that the citizens have their voice heard through the appeals process.”
Roberts, who was born in Waverly and grew up in Zearing, is a Christian pastor from Carroll. He’s been a state representative for the past decade, representing the Carroll area. He did not seek reelection to the House in order to run for governor. He has worked as development director for Christian Churches/Churches of Christ in Iowa since 1981.
