The Davenport City Council will vote Wednesday, Feb. 25, on whether to name Interim City Administrator Tim Gleason as Davenport’s full-time city administrator.
A special committee made up of four aldermen and seven residents selected five finalists for the post. They included Mr. Gleason. It recommended that current interim Davenport leader and former city leader in the Illinois communities of Decatur, Bloomington and Washington, the city said in a Friday, Feb. 13, news release.
Davenport Mayor Jason Gordon, who was elected mayor last November, tabbed Mr. Gleason for the post.
“The selection process produced several strong candidates, which allowed Tim to demonstrate he is indeed the right choice for Davenport,” Mr. Gordon said in the release. “We are looking forward to working with Tim on our vision for the city.”
If the mayor’s choice is approved by the council, Mr. Gleason’s administrator contract will begin on Monday, March 2.
Mr. Gleason originally was hired for up to six months as interim leader to replace Davenport City Administrator Doug Maxeiner. He had announced his own resignation on July 21 citing significant health issues.
In all, the city has had five administrators since November of 2023. That was when Davenport City Administrator Corri Spiegel – who held the post since 2016 – resigned citing harassment by some elected officials. The city also paid the former administrator a $1.6 million settlement for lost wages and “emotional pain and suffering” related to those allegations.
“It is an honor to have been selected as Davenport’s next city administrator,” Mr. Gleason said in the city release.
“This is a great opportunity for me and my wife, Becky. It felt right from my first day as interim back in November.”
Nationwide search
Mr. Gleason, who also has 21 years of experience in law enforcement, was chosen as interim city administrator after a nationwide search conducted with the help of executive search firm Colin Baenziger & Associates.
The special committee narrowed the candidate pool to five finalists. They participated in a formal interview process. Candidates also attended a reception where they met members of the public.
The other finalists were: Troy Anderson, assistant city manager for the City of Wichita, Kansas; Carl Geffken, former city administrator for the City of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and now owner of a consulting firm; Daniel Mitchell, now with Fontaine Consulting, LLC, East Moline, and a retired Army colonel; and Mark Rothert, East Moline city administrator.
Mr. Gleason has served as interim city administrator since November 2025. Prior to that he was city manager in Decatur from 2024 to 2025 and from 2015 to 2018, and in Bloomington, from 2018 to 2024. He also led Washington’s city staff during the devastating EF-4 tornado that hit that north central Illinois community in November 2013.
Mr. Gleason has a bachelor’s degree in management, with a minor in labor relations, and a master’s degree in public administration, with a graduate certificate in collective bargaining, from the University of Illinois Springfield. He completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School and the Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. He is a credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association and a Senior Certified Professional through the International Public Management Association for Human Resources.
