DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa state official, whose affinity for lauding rapper Tupac Shakur to colleagues drew attention after he was unexpectedly asked to resign, said Wednesday he had objected to the governor’s request that he continue paying the salary of a woman moving from his department to the governor’s office.

Jerry Foxhoven confirmed to The Associated Press that he declined to approve paying the salary of Elizabeth Matney, who left DHS on May 17 to accept a job as Gov. Kim Reynolds’ adviser on health policy.

Documents obtained by AP from the governor’s office show a memorandum of understanding between the governor’s office and DHS was signed more than a month later on June 19. It indicates Reynolds’ office was to bill DHS for wages and salaries from May 17 through June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

It is signed by Reynolds’ Chief of Staff Sara Craig. The document was initially drafted with Foxhoven’s name , which is crossed out and replaced in handwritten script with the name of Gerd Clabaugh, the interim director of DHS named by Reynolds to replace Foxhoven. Clabaugh signed it.

Foxhoven was asked to resign on June 17. He has declined to say why. Reynolds has only said she asked him to leave for several reasons and she wanted to go in a new direction. Spokesman Pat Garrett said Foxhoven never raised an objection to paying Matney out the DHS budget to the governor’s office. He said the document was prepared before Foxhoven left but not signed until after Clabaugh was interim director.

When asked Wednesday if he objected to paying Matney out of his department’s funds, Foxhoven replied: “Yes, that’s what they got their own appropriation for.”
He declined to specify if it had any bearing on his departure.