DAVENPORT, Iowa — At the end of April Davenport Alderman Patrick Peacock will be resigning from serving the city’s 7th ward. He’s leaving the council because he is moving out of his district, which means it’s illegal to serve the ward. Peacock says he will miss his job, but he had to make the personal decision that was best for him.
Peacock said he’s proud of what he’s accomplished with his time on the council, but he’s concerned, “Let’s not be naïve, the city of Davenport, hear me clearly, has a history of not paying attention to the marginalized community and I just want to bring consciousness to that," he explained.
He’s the only Black member on the Council, and he’s made his opinion clear on the way business tends to be run.
“I think that certain members on this council have their own biases and beliefs and that’s fine this is a great country and you’re entitled to those beliefs, but so am I," said Peacock. "I think that even though I can’t champion all of their causes but their voices still will be unheard and that does concern me.”
He fears the marginalized voices in the city will go unheard without his presence on the Council, and that he’s heard that same fear echoed in many community members. “People that have reached out to me personally and they say they wish I wouldn’t resign because I am the only sole voice that they have.”
Peacock has voiced his opinion publicly on the way the city spends its money as well. He says the way a city chooses to spend its budget says a lot about where its priority lies, and he doesn’t see a priority on minority communities in the area.
“Until we address the big elephant in the room those things will not get resolved and if everyone wants Davenport to be a great city we need to act accordingly. Put your money where your mouth is. Put it in the budget, lets fix some of these issues that are affecting these marginalized communities.”
Peacock says he doesn’t get a say in his replacement; however he’s put some feelers out on Facebook calling for anyone interested in the position to contact the Mayor’s office.
He’s also reached out to a few individuals he knows that he believes would be good for the job. The position will be temporarily filled by the Mayor’s appointment until the next election cycle.