An update on the not-so-magic carpet

Here's a timeline on the story of new carpeting for the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) in Des Moines:

Afternoon of 2/5/09:  RIO chief of staff Emily Hajek tells legislators who asked about the $19,000 bill for new carpeting that the lieutenant governor wanted the carpeting installed.

Morning of 2/6/09:  RIO communications director Tina Potthoff tells Radio Iowa RIO is using space in the Wallace State Office Building which had been the space used by the D.C.I. crime lab and the carpeting had to be replaced for "environmental reasons."

Afternoon of 2/6/09:  Governor Chet Culver announces former Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Ron Dardis (retired) will be taking over as RIO executive director.  Hajek stays on.

Morning of 2/9/09:  Governor Chet Culver answers reporter's questions about RIO during news conference in his statehouse office.  He does not specifically explain the carpeting, but ends by saying legislators had raised "fair questions" about RIO.

Afternoon of 2/9/09:  Dardis, rather than Hajek, testifies before House Rebuild Iowa Committee, making reference to the previous carpeting being held together by "duct tape."  After the meeting, Dardis (pardon the pun) shoots down the idea the carpeting was replaced for "environmental reasons."  According to our friend Dave Price at WHO-TV, who transcribed the tape, Dardis offered the following explanation about the carpet: "It appears it was not mold.  It was old.  It was worn.  It was taped together."