Jeff Reiter – the City of Bettendorf’s economic development director – will soon be doing double duty for the city.
Mr. Reiter also will become the city’s first-ever assistant city administrator. The Bettendorf City Council approved the new position at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 17. His new duties will begin on Monday, Jan. 23.
That new job might be a stepping stone to eventually becoming city administrator for Bettendorf.
“We believe it is important to have an assistant city administrator who has institutional knowledge to either support a new city administrator one day or fulfill that role themselves,” Bettendorf Mayor Robert Gallagher said in a statement to the QCBJ on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
The mayor added: “We’ve talked about succession planning over the last several years in all of the city’s departments and, in particular, administration.”
In his new job, Mr. Reiter will work side by side with longtime City Administrator Decker Ploehn, and further gain an understanding of the many public obligations the city administrator is responsible for, the city said. He also will continue his duties as economic development director, a position he has held since January 2015.
Mr. Ploehn called the move a “logical step” for the city on having an assistant administrator identified and training in leadership to assume those duties.
“While retirement is certainly in my future, I still love doing this work. However, just like the rest of the city, having a plan is very important for our future,” said Mr. Ploehn, who has been city administrator for 32 years.
Before becoming city economic director in 2015, Mr. Reiter was the director of the city’s Family Museum.
“I was born and raised in Bettendorf and have worked for the city for more than 28 years,” he said. “I have seen many great things happen in Bettendorf over the years and with the continued growth and development, I am excited to continue the positive momentum and trajectory that the city is on. We have a lot to be proud of in Bettendorf and I am very proud of my Bettendorf roots.”
