Governor Kim Reynolds.
Governor Kim Reynolds this morning said an outside auditing firm will review transactions authorized by the Iowa Finance Authority director Reynolds fired in March.
This past Friday, Reynolds announced a private-sector attorney will investigate the toxic work environment allegedly created by Iowa Finance Authority director Dave Jamison, the man Reynolds dismissed.
“Those are two separate issues, so the outside counsel for the sexual harassment will be done by Mr. Weinhardt and then IFA has indicated to me this morning that they will be bringing in a third-party audit, to do the financial side,” Reynolds said during her weekly news conference.
Jamison was given authority by the Iowa Finance Authority’s board of directors to spend up to $100,000 a year in agency money without seeking the board’s approval.
“It’s important that we take a look at it, we acknowledge what best practices are and so that’s the whole purpose of doing the review,” Reynolds said.
Jamison also orchestrated moving the agency to rented office space, but an outside review of the agency’s current state-owned office space indicated it could have been renovated. Reynolds says she’s spoken with interim Iowa Finance Authority director Carolann Jensen about the lease.
“She has reviewed it and right now she believes it’s the right thing to do to more forward,” Reynolds said. “But if anything changes, we’ll review it at that time.”
The state treasurer has suggested the deal should be un-done, but it’s unclear if the lease can be broken.
Reynolds and Jamison, both Republicans, had been political allies for years. Both were sworn in as county treasurers in 1994 — Reynolds for Clarke County and Jamison in Story County.
“He was, has been a friend of mine and of our family, actually, and continued to work with him as a colleague as director of the Iowa Finance Authority,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds told reporters during her weekly news conference that in all her dealings with Jamison, she had “absolutely not” witnessed the kind of inappropriate behavior Jamison’s been accused of by two women in the Iowa Finance Authority.
AUDIO of governor’s news conference