Another official from Iowa’s Department of Administrative Services is out.
General Services Enterprise Chief Operating Officer Doug Woodley resigned effective Monday, May 12, 2014. The GSE is part of the DAS, maintaining state monuments and grounds, mail services, operating state vehicles and managing architecture and engineering for construction projects.
Woodley faced previous questions about accusations that the state paid secret settlements to former employees who claimed they were terminated for political reasons.
DAS Director Mike Carroll was fired a few weeks after six fired workers filed a lawsuit exposing the secret payments. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said Carroll claimed the terminated employees were not paid in exchange for confidentiality, but that Branstad later found out that claim was not accurate.
Retired Iowa National Guard Brigadier General Janet Phipps was named interim DAS director. Phipps confirmed Woodley’s resignation according to the Des Moines Register, which reported Woodley was “given an opportunity to resign” and that the department considered the resignation to be voluntary.
In the interim, Woodley’s duties were to be handled by Paul Carlson and Kelly Green. The Des Moines Register reported one of the fired former state workers identified Carlson as one of the people instrumental in the reorganization that led to some of the secret settlements.
