Mayor Mike Thoms nominated Randy Tweet to fill the position of Third Ward alderman recently vacated by Kevin Maynard.
The Rock Island City Council will vote on the appointment at its Monday, Nov. 11, meeting. If approved, Mr. Tweet will be sworn in Monday, Nov. 25, and serve in the interim until the April 2025 municipal election.
Mr. Maynard, who also was the longtime executive director of Quad City Arts, resigned from both positions to take a new job at Florida State University. His last day at Quad City Arts was Friday, Oct. 25. He started his new job as executive director of the Opening Nights group at FSU on Monday, Nov. 4.
In a news release announcing his nomination, Mr. Thoms said “Randy is a dedicated community leader who has a deep understanding of the city’s budget and a clear commitment to serving Rock Island. His willingness to step up for this role speaks volumes about his character, and I am confident he will do an excellent job representing the Third Ward until the April 2025 election.”
A native of Rock Island, Mr. Tweet graduated from Augustana College with his bachelor’s degree in public administration. He then went on to serve in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 1998 after 18 years of service. While in the Navy, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from Auburn University.
Mr. Tweet was hired by the City of Rock Island in 2000 as an information management project manager and in 2003 was transferred to the public works department. He was appointed public works director in 2013 and then served as city manager from 2016 until his retirement in 2021.
At the time he moved into the interim city manager role, Rock Island was reeling from the loss of a Super Wal-Mart development planned for Watch Tower Plaza. City employee morale was low and many residents were unhappy with how their local government had spent millions in taxpayer dollars with little development to show for it.
When he retired, his colleagues and friends said Mr. Tweet was leaving the city in far better shape than he found it five years earlier.
