DES MOINES (AP) — The state has cut nearly 2,100 jobs since Terry Branstad returned as Iowa governor in 2011, a point of pride for the Republican but worrisome to some state workers who say the reductions have endangered the public and other public employees.
Analysis of data from the Iowa Department of Administrative Services shows Branstad has eliminated at least 2,094 full-time positions in state government.
Most of those job cuts occurred in four agencies: Nearly 840 jobs were cut from the Department of Human Services, and more than 230 were cut from the Transportation Department. The Workforce Development Department saw more than 240 cuts, and the Corrections Department had more than 260 cuts.
The departments faced with the deepest cuts also have been publicly criticized for their handling of high-profile cases involving child neglect, prison security that has resulted in injured guards, and ongoing questions about privatizing the state’s Medicaid program.
The closure of 36 unemployment offices, two mental health facilities, the Iowa juvenile home, seven Department of Transportation maintenance garages and two driver’s license stations also contributed to the job cuts.
Ron Forget, a former corrections officer for Iowa prisons, said reduced staffing led to assaults against him and other prison employees.
“I think this is part of his (Branstad’s) legacy,” Forget said. “It’s one of his main points he used to get elected, but I think the focus was in the wrong areas to accomplish it.”
Branstad said he embraces his legacy of reducing the size of the state government roster. He downplayed critics like Forget who contend the cuts have hurt public safety, rural areas and the state’s poorest families.
“We look at this as part of our effort to make government smaller and smarter,” Branstad said. “We’re not only reducing the size of government, we’re making it more efficient and more responsive.”
Branstad resumed office in January 2011 after serving 16 years as governor in the 1980s and 1990s. He is preparing to leave Iowa to become the next U.S. ambassador to China.