Update 09/09/2024: Davenport Chief Communications Officer Denise Hnytka announced the five finalists for the city administrator position in a press release sent on Sept. 9th.
The finalists are Robert Cowell, former City Manager for the City of Roanoke, Virginia; George Koczwara, Village Manager for the Village of Orland Park, Illinois; Douglas Maxeiner, former City Administrator for the City of East Moline, Illinois; Jamie Miller, City Manager for the City of Paris, Kentucky; and
Robert Sivick, County Administrator for the County of Whitfield, Georgia.
Davenport is approaching the end of its search for a new city administrator. On Monday, Sept. 9th, finalists for the position will attend a public reception for the community to meet them from 5 to 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Figge Art Museum, located at 225 W. 2nd Street in Davenport.
The candidates will be interviewed within the city and participate in community tours between Sept. 9th and 10th. The special committee, consisting of four Davenport City Council members and seven community members, will select the final three candidates. Mayor Mike Matson will choose one candidate for the council to vote on; a two-thirds vote is required.
The reception on Sept. 9th is an open-style event with light refreshments available. The reception will include information on all candidates.
Mallory Merritt was the interim city administrator for Davenport from November 2023 until her resignation last month. She announced her intention to step down in July for a new job at Russell Group. Merritt was the assistant city administrator to Corri Spiegel, who left the position in November 2023 following a settlement agreement totaling $1.6 million for lost wages and emotional pain and suffering that was signed a month earlier on Oct. 6th.
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is trying to hear the recordings of the closed-door meetings of the Davenport City Council discussing the settlement agreement and recordings of two other former city employees who received settlements. He subpoenaed the recordings in February and is still waiting as the city is seeking an appeal from the Iowa Supreme Court and stay while the matter is discussed in court.
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