Davenport will have a new interim city administrator come Nov. 3.
The city council on Wednesday approved hiring Tim Gleason, who is currently the city manager of Decatur, Illinois, as Davenport’s interim city administrator.
Gleason will start Nov. 3. Gleason has given his resignation to Decatur, effective no later than Oct. 31.
Gleason told reporters the interim position is a “tremendous opportunity” and that he’s looking forward to getting to know elected officials, the community and the staff in Davenport.
He had the same thought when he saw the position a year ago, he said, but didn’t apply because he’d just returned to a leadership position in Decatur.
Gleason said he had strong interest in the permanent administration position, but would wait and see what the community and elected officials think of him as a potential candidate as well as his impressions during his interim tenure.
In the six months he will be interim, Gleason said, the city will onboard two new directors — a fire chief and an IT director. He also wants to make sure the new city council, elected in November and seated in January, is prepped and ready to do the business of the city.
“I want to understand what the elected officials desire of me, but also, I want to make sure that I’m serving the the employees as best as I possibly can,” Gleason said. “So there’s going to be a lot of listening early on, and that starts well before my start date of Nov. 3.”
Davenport’s current city administrator, Doug Maxeiner, will step down Oct. 1 because of health issues.
Maxeiner thanked the council in an emotional statement Wednesday night in which he said this was not how he expected to end his tenure with the city.
“I have tried to position the city in the best possible position moving forward through this transition, at least the best I know how,” Maxeiner told the council. “… Tim Gleason … is a top-notch individual, top-notch city manager. He is highly respected in this profession. I have observed his achievements in this profession and been an admirer of him for years and think he is going to do a fantastic job in this position.”
Maxeiner also recognized city staff, calling the leadership team and employees “one of the finest I’ve ever worked with.”
He ended his speech with a quote, urging the city council to act for the next generation, not the next election.
Mayor Mike Matson, 1st Ward Ald. Rick Dunn, 3rd Ward Ald. Marion Meginnis, and At-Large Ald. Kyle Gripp complimented Maxeiner’s work and thanked him for his service to the council.
“I was in your office many times, on many different issues,” Dunn said. “You never said ‘we can’t do that.’ You’ve always said, ‘how do we fix it?’ You’ve only been here a short time, but you were the right fit at the right time.”
In the time between Maxeiner’s departure and Gleason’s start, Davenport Public Works Director Nicole Gleason will serve as acting city administrator, according to agreements the council approved Wednesday. Nicole Gleason is not related to Tim Gleason, according to council documents.
Under the agreement the city council approved, the city would lease Tim Gleason’s services from the government temp agency MGT Impact Solutions, LLC, until at least May 3, 2026, with possible extension. Tim Gleason would be compensated $6,413 a week under the agreement.
Davenport will continue its search for a permanent city administrator, with the option for Tim Gleason to apply if he wishes.
The search firm that helped the city find Maxeiner, Colin Baenzinger and Associates, will reconduct the city administrator search at no charge, with the exception of travel and other related expenses, according to the city. The rest of the search process is laid out in city code.
Gleason announced his resignation last week from his second stint as city manager in Decatur. His resignation, according to the city of Decatur, is effective no later than Oct. 31. He has also served as city manager for Bloomington, Illinois and city administrator for Washington, Illinois. He began his career as a police officer and worked 21 years in public safety.
Gleason was initially hired as Decatur’s city manager in 2015, serving for three years before he was hired to take the same job in Bloomington in July 2018, according to the Herald & Review. He returned to Decatur in May 2024 after six years as Bloomington’s top administrator.
In an interview with the Herald & Review, Decatur’s mayor blamed Gleason’s departure on the “toxic” behavior of a council member, whom the mayor said flooded Gleason and city staff with tedious requests. The Herald & Review also had reported in the past month that Gleason had not established permanent residency within Decatur city limits, though the mayor said that was not the reason Gleason resigned.
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Sarah Watson
Davenport, Scott County, local politics
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