Ex-worker says Iowa job summits were timed to help governor

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A state employee who helped organize conferences for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' signature jobs program resigned days before the November election, saying she felt pressured to shape the taxpayer-funded events to benefit the governor's campaign.

April Hughes alleged that she and her colleagues at Iowa Workforce Development were directed to plan summits for the Future Ready Iowa program in the weeks leading up to the election. She resigned effective Oct. 23, alleging that her work as a civil servant had become tainted by "very politically charged assignments," according to records and testimony obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request.

The state hosted 16 summits between Sept. 21 and Oct.