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Investigation finds U-I athletics IT director faked invoices

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A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has identified more than $6000 in improper spending by the former IT director for the University of Iowa athletic department.

Patrick Delin resigned in early February. Auditors reviewed his expense reports from the past five years. The investigation found he made about $1,600 worth of personal purchases on the University of Iowa’s dime.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman said he intentionally submitted five fake invoices for about a thousand dollars worth items. For example, he bought a dimmer switch for a light fixture from Amazon, but the invoice claimed he bought a computer hard drive.

The investigation also found Delin had given his wife a cell phone owned by the athletic department, but there was no record giving him authority to do that. Delin told auditors his wife needed the phone because she got calls after hour and on weekends because of job as an athletic department tutor. Auditors say “the majority of calls” made on the phone were with her husband.

Delin used his University of Iowa credit card to register for a conference in Miami he never attended and spend another $2,500 on a three-day conference in Colorado, but he left after day one. Delin told auditors he discovered the conference had nothing to do with his job.

 

Arkansan sent to federal prison on Iowa sex charge

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A 20-year-old Arkansas man caught in Iowa will spend three decades in federal prison for seeking out a 12-year-old girl for sex.

Authorities found Damien Perez of Fayetteville, Arkansas, living in the woods near Knoxville about a year ago. Investigators discovered text messages to the Iowa girl, along with photos she had sent to Perez and confirmed the two did meet and have sex.

Court records indicate the girl wasn’t his first victim. There were as many as 10 others. And the sex wasn’t limited to humans as court records indicate Perez was guilty of bestiality. Perez has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for enticing a minor to engage in illicit sexual activities.

‘Acting’ Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg says he’s ‘ordinary Iowa guy’

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Acting Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg and his family.

The man who Governor Kim Reynolds has named as her “governing partner” grew up in a small northwest Iowa town and credits former Governor Terry Branstad for igniting his interest in politics.

Reynolds has given Adam Gregg the title of “acting” lieutenant governor due to the recent legal controversy over whether she has the authority to name a new lieutenant governor.

“I looked for someone that would be a full partner in my administration,” Reynolds said this morning during a news conference with Gregg in her formal office. “Someone who shared my vision, someone that I trust, I was compatible with, was a outside thinker and somebody that would work hard for the people of Iowa and I found those qualities in Adam Gregg.”

Gregg, who is 34 years old, grew up in Hawarden. After graduating from Central College in Pella, he got a law degree from Drake University. Former Governor Terry Branstad hired Gregg in 2012 to lobby legislators to pass his agenda. Gregg was a second grader when he first met Branstad and got Branstad’s autograph.

Acting Lt. Governor Adam Gregg.

“I’ve hung onto this all these years…Believe it or not, I think it actually perfectly captures why we’re here today,” Gregg said, holding the framed autograph up for picture-takers in the room. “Governor Branstad couldn’t have known that small little act of kindness so many years ago might have just been a little nudge to that little kid to have an interest in public service.”

In 2014, Gregg was an unsuccessful candidate for Iowa Attorney General. Right after the election, Branstad appointed Gregg as the state public defender. Gregg said as “acting” lieutenant governor, he will “strive to earn the trust” of Iowans.

“I’m an ordinary, Iowa guy…but I have been truly blessed with extraordinary opportunities to serve,” Gregg said. “…At my core, I’m an advocate and a problem solver.” Gregg called his new boss Kim Reynolds an “inspiration” — especially to young girls like his own daughter. Gregg will draw the salary reserved for lieutenant governor — a little more than 103-thousand dollars a year.

Reynolds said Gregg will be her “top advisor,” but because of the attorney general’s ruling early this month, Gregg will be “acting” lieutenant governor and will not be first in the line of succession if Reynolds leaves office early. If Reynolds exits before January of 2019, Senate President Jack Whitver would become governor.

Governor Reynolds names ‘acting’ lieutenant governor (AUDIO)

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Governor Reynolds and Adam Gregg.

Nearly 24 hours into her tenure as governor, Kim Reynolds has made the executive decision to designate an “acting lieutenant governor.” She’s chosen Adam Gregg, an attorney who worked for Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Reynolds, to be her “governing partner.”

“I value his opinion,” Reynolds said. “I trust his judgment.”

But Gregg he will not be her successor should something happen to Reynolds.

“Battling over who is going to be second in line to succession is a distraction and it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars at this point,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds faced a potential legal battle if she had named her permanent replacement. That’s because Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said earlier this month that according to his read of the constitution, Reynolds lacked the authority to name a new lieutenant governor. Tim Albrecht, the deputy chief of staff for Reynolds, says the governor decided to name an “acting” lieutenant governor rather than a permanent replacement to avoid a lawsuit.

“This person will operate the office of lieutenant governor, if not hold the office of lieutenant governor,” Albrecht said. “This is a title.”

Albrecht briefed reporters this morning on the governor’s decision.

“Iowans expect a governing duo of governor and lieutenant governor,” Albrecht says, “…so we’re fulfilling what they expect and we’re not going to go small and petty.”

Gregg joined Reynolds in her formal office in the state capitol for a news conference this morning at 10 a.m. Gregg told reporters he’s unconcerned he’s not in the line of succession.

“I am so honored and so excited to have been chosen for this,” Gregg said. “You can call this whatever you want. It’s not going to change the way I serve.”

If something were to happen to Reynolds, Jack Whitver — the president of the Iowa Senate — would become governor. Whitver plans to introduce a constitutional amendment making clear that in future, anyone who is elevated to the role of governor has the authority to name a lieutenant governor replacement.

AUDIO of Reynolds-Gregg news conference

Reynolds and Gregg will embark on a four-city tour of the state, starting this evening with an event in Osceola. It’s Reynolds’ hometown.

Democrats seek to hang Branstad record on Reynolds

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Kim Reynolds waves to the crowd after being sworn in as Governor. Her husband and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court are to her right.

Now that Republican Kim Reynolds is Iowa’s governor, Democrats are hoping to tie her to what they consider former Governor Terry Branstad’s unpopular policies.

“It’s not like she just became governor without being a partner to all of these…She was there for every bit of the agenda that’s held back Iowans,” says State Senator Nate Boulton of Des Moines, one of the Democrats who’s running for governor.

Boulton says after scaling back union bargaining rights and rolling back minimum wage increases in “multiple” counties, the only person who seems to have gotten a “bump in status” from the Branstad years seems to be Kim Reynolds.

“After promising 200,000 new jobs and an increase in household earnings for working Iowans by 25 percent and instead the only thing that happened was one Iowan that can clearly say they benefitted from the Branstad-Reynolds agenda,” Boulton says.

Boulton attended yesterday’s statehouse ceremony, watching as Reynolds took the oath of office and delivered her first major speech. Boulton then drove to Cedar Rapids where he held what was billed as a “Democratic response” to the new Republican governor’s speech.

Democrat Todd Prichard, a state representative from Charles City who’s running for governor, too, issued a written statement. Prichard said the Branstad-Reynolds agenda has had “devastating effects” on what he calls the “forgotten Iowans.”

Reynolds has raised more than a million dollars for her 2018 race for governor. Iowa’s Republican National Committeeman Steve Scheffler says Reynolds appears to be “in good shape” to win a full term as governor.

“I think she’s got the work habits of Terry Branstad. She’ll work her tail off. She’ll make the case and I think she’ll do a great job and I don’t know if she’ll win in a landslide, but I think she’ll win pretty handily,” Scheffler says.

But Scheffler says neither Reynolds nor the Iowa Republican Party will take 2018 for granted.

“We all remember what happened with Jim Ross Lightfoot and Vilsack that nobody expected,” Scheffler says.

Former Republican Congressman Lightfoot was expected to easily defeat his unknown Democratic challenger, but Tom Vilsack was elected governor in 1998.

Democratic leader seizing on Reynolds’ remark on ‘party labels’

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Rob Hogg

Democrats in the legislature are seizing on what they consider an olive branch from Iowa’s new governor.

Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids attended today’s ceremony installing Republican Kim Reynolds as governor and he heard her first address.

“On the issues that she laid out, those are issues that we’re willing to work with her on,” Hogg says. “Tax reform that is fairer and simpler and helps ordinary Iowans, we’re interested in working on that as long as it’s not just a guise for a tax giveaway to the wealthiest Iowans.”

Reynolds also listed renewable energy and education as priority issues and Hogg says Democrats are ready to work with her on those issues as well.

“We’ve got good ideas,” Hogg says. “We hope she’ll reach out to us and we hope she’ll insist that Republican legislative leaders include Democrats in the process.”

Republicans hold a majority of seats in both the House and Senate, which means the GOP decides what is debated. Reynolds said today that party labels didn’t matter nearly as much as getting the job in the small towns where she’s lived. Hogg says the new governor’s promise of “bringing people together to work for Iowans,” is something he and other Democrats embrace.

Kim Reynolds sworn in as governor, delivers first address

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Kim Reynolds is sworn in as Govenor by the Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court as her husband watches.

Iowa has a new governor. Kim Reynolds took the oath of office shortly after 10:45 this morning.

Reynolds will serve out the remaining 18 months of the sixth term Governor Terry Branstad won from Iowa voters in 2014.

“I’m incredibly proud to stand before you today as your governor,” Reynolds said in her first address as the state’s chief executive.

Branstad resigned shortly after 10 a.m. today. He was immediately sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to China. The federal judge who administered the oath to Branstad was Steven Colloton.

Colloton serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit and he was among the dozen people Donald Trump listed last year as potential picks for an opening on the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s Branstad who is now part of President Trump’s Administration.

With Branstad’s exit, the statehouse spotlight has shifted to Governor Reynolds. She delivered her first speech as governor to a crowd gathered in the state capitol rotunda.

View of the swearing in at the Iowa State Capitol rotunda.

“I have some pretty tough shoes to fill, I’m excited to step into my heels on behalf of the people of Iowa and work every single day,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds, who is 57 years old, is Iowa’s 43rd governor – and the first woman to lead the executive branch of state government.

“You know, I love this state and what it represents,” Reynolds said. “I’m a rural Iowa girl who grew up in a small community, was able to run for county office, to serve as a state senator and your lieutenant governor. And now, to serve as the governor of our state.”

Reynolds carried a lucky coin in her pocket and took the oath of office on a family Bible. She talked about growing up in St. Charles and about working as a check-out clerk at Hy-Vee.

“From where I come from, party label didn’t matter nearly as much as getting the job done,” Reynolds said. “I took that same approach with me to the Legislature, which means bringing people together to work for Iowans.”

Reynolds also looked forward, highlighting some of her priorities and at the top of her list is tax reform.

“Know that each day my team and I will ask ourselves what can we do to build a better Iowa,” Reynolds said. “Let’s move toward this shared goal together.”

Kevin Reynolds, the governor’s husband, is now Iowa’s First Gentleman. The couple’s three adult daughters, their spouses and eight grandchildren were on hand for today’s event, along with Reynolds’ parents.

Soon-to-be Governor Reynolds reflects on her past, the mission ahead

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Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds.

The woman who will become Iowa’s next governor later this morning credits her “small town roots” with propelling her to this point in her political career.

Republican Kim Reynolds will take the oath of office at about 10:30 this morning, shortly after Governor Terry Branstad resigns and is sworn in by a federal judge as the next U.S. Ambassador to China. Reynolds is well aware that as Iowa’s first female governor, she’s breaking barriers.

“Young girls just come up already and they’re so excited,” Reynolds told Radio Iowa yesterday afternoon, her voice cracking with emotion. “You have to see it sometimes to believe in it.”

Reynolds, who is 57, said there were very few role models on the state stage when she became Osceola County Treasurer about 17 years ago. She credited former State Representative Teresa Garman of Ames for being one of the women who showed her the ropes once she got to the statehouse in 2009.

“She stuck to her guns and believed in what she believed in and she took a seat at the table and she took charge and that was really impressive to me to see that,” Reynolds said. “I liked her style.”

Former Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning, who died this past weekend, was another mentor.

“She was adamant about encouraging women to run for office and to seek leadership positions,” Reynolds said, “and would really challenge me to step out there and even take on more.”

Reynolds is a native of St. Charles. She and her husband Kevin raised their three daughters in Osceola. Reynolds said living in a small town prepared her well for the tasks ahead.

“You can be a part of everything, so you’d get to get your feet wet and get out there. It’s time management. It’s teamwork. It’s collaboration,” Reynolds said. “…But I grew up in county government. I wanted to have a seat at the table. I want to be driving ideas and initiatives that would impact my county.”

Branstad described Reynolds as a “policy wonk” yesterday and Reynolds acknowledged she wants to know how things work, but Reynolds said she’s learned over the past six or so years as lieutenant governor that leaders delegate and trust others to follow through. Reynolds, though, intends to be the chief cheerleader for her priority issues.

“If I believe in something, get out of my way because I believe in it from my very soul,” Reynolds said. “…As a leader, then, you want to encourage other people to follow and to feel that same passion for those ideas.”

Look for one of her priority issues to be getting legislators to agree to provide a long-term funding stream for water quality projects, something left over from Branstad’s to-do list. Earlier this year, Reynolds began describing income tax reform as the “next step” to making Iowa more competitive with its neighbors. Reynolds is planning a listening tour of the state this summer along with meetings with legislators and interest groups.

“I think it’s important to get all stakeholders around the table so we’re all hearing the same discussion, we’re all hearing the same numbers,” Reynolds said. “We have different perspectives as we all try to wade through how to make it simpler and flatter and fairer.”

Reynolds recently met individually with the head of every state agency, soliciting ideas for streamlining state government operations, too.

“One of the first things I would like to do, too, is to do a retreat so we can all get together and just brainstorm and talk about innovative ideas and ways we can collaborate and better serve Iowans,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds will be serving the remaining 19 months on the gubernatorial term Terry Branstad won in 2014. She’s already raised more than a million dollars for her own reelection campaign in 2018.

“That’s just part of it and you can’t be afraid to ask. That says that you believe in yourself and you believe in the mission and that’s part of being a leader…convincing them that investment in you is an investment in Iowa and an investment in this state,” Reynolds said. “I’m not afraid to ask because I believe in what I’m doing and I’m excited to keep doing it.”

A handful of Democrats have already expressed interest in challenging her bid for reelection. And yesterday “Progress Iowa” launched a website to catalogue their criticism of Reynolds on a variety of topics.

Kim Reynolds, Iowa’s next governor, pays tribute to Branstad

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Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds hugs Governor Branstad.

Governor Terry Branstad will resign at 10 a.m. tomorrow and a federal judge immediately will swear him in as the next U.S. Ambassador to China.

“I was confirmed by the United States Senate with 82 votes,” Branstad told reporters this morning. “I was very proud to receive a strong, bipartisan endorsement in a time of significant partisanship and difficulty in our nation’s capitol.”

Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds briefed statehouse reporters this morning about tomorrow’s transition of power at the Iowa capitol (AUDIO is here).

Reynolds and Branstad hugged as Branstad gave up the microphone to her.

“I have no doubt that she will lead the state to bigger and better things in the future and I know nobody that’s ever been as well-prepared to take over the responsibilities as the chief executive of state,” Branstad said.

After their brief embrace, Reynolds began: “Well, I’m going to try to get through this without getting emotional, which is going to be a little bit of a challenge.”

Branstad picked Reynolds as his Lieutenant Governor running-mate nearly seven years ago. Today, Reynolds thanked Branstad for his “unselfish and historic service” to Iowans.

The Governor and Lt. Governor shared some light-hearted moments when talking about the transition.

“It’s difficult to even try to convey how much I appreciate the opportunity to work with you,” Reynolds said. “…I have had the opportunity learn from one of the best, the best governor in the nation.”

According to Reynolds, Branstad’s “competitive nature” has been contagious.

“Whether it was the 99 counties or Governor’s Steer Show or who could get to a groundbreaking or a ribbon cutting first — I did know who was always supposed to come in first,” Reynolds said, and Branstad laughed. “But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t challenged every day to get right there to the edge.”

Reynolds voice shook as she called Branstad the “right person at the right time” for the job of U.S. Ambassador to China.

“You continue to make us proud not only from your service and dedication and love for this state, but to continue to take that unselfish service and Iowa’s values to the world by being the ambassador to China is such a great testament to who you and Chris are,” Reynolds said. “…I just want to say personally: ‘Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve with you.'”

Reynolds delivered an upbeat ending in her tribute to Branstad.

“We’ve had fun and we’ve worked hard and we’ve made a difference,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds will take the oath of office and become Iowa’s 43rd governor at about 10:30 tomorrow morning.

Branstad heading north on his final day as governor (AUDIO)

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Governor Branstad talks about going home on his final day in office.

Terry Branstad is going to spend his last day as governor where — in his words — “it all began.”

“I just want to say, ‘Thank you,’ to the people that launched my career,” Branstad said this morning.

Branstad was born in the Forest City hospital, grew up on a farm near Leland and practiced law in Lake Mills.

“I’m going to see the new Freedom Rock that’s just been painted in Lake Mills which has my picture on it, in my army uniform,” Branstad said. “I’m proud that they chose to do that.”

Branstad’s first successful campaign for office was to represent Lake Mills and the surrounding area in the Iowa House.

“They were so generous and supportive of me and I want to let them know how much I appreciate the honor and the opportunity that I’ve had coming from that small county in Minnesota border,” Branstad said.

Branstad will visit the museum in Forest City where some of his political memorabilia has been deposited and where more of it is being transferred as he packs for his new post as U.S. Ambassador to China. He’ll also visit his elderly aunt as well as other family and friends in the area.

“And I have literally made friends in every county of this state and I just want people to know that I am so humbly appreciative of the support and assistance that we have received over the years,” Branstad told reporters this morning, “and I won’t forget it and I will be back.”

Branstad made his comments to reporters in the statehouse this morning. Branstad has held weekly news conference throughout his tenure as governor. Branstad, along with Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, spoke at Branstad’s final weekly news conference this morning (AUDIO here).

“I’m in a believer in free press and, you know, I grew up reading the Forest City Summit and the Lake Mills Graphic,” Branstad said.

Branstad also did weekly legislative updates on KILR Radio in Estherville when he was a state representative. Branstad told Iowa reporters he’ll be an advocate of American values like freedom of the press as ambassador to China, but the Chinese media is very different than ours and controlled by the state.

“I’m realistic,” Branstad said this morning. “I don’t know that I am going to be able to change their system, but I certainly want to be an advocate for human rights, for intellectual property rights and for many of these issues that we, as Americans, care deeply about.”

Branstad may be able to take one or two staff members with him to China, but he’s working with the State Department on the details. Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to bring in her own staff once she becomes governor, but she declined to share the details of those staff changes today.