DAVENPORT, Iowa — The City of Davenport will be paying departing City Administrator Corri Spiegel lump sum payments totaling $1.6 million, according to documents received by News 8 on Wednesday.
Spiegel, whose official last day with the City is Jan. 2, 2024, is receiving lump sum payments of $600,000 for lost wages and $1 million for "emotional pain and suffering," according to a separation agreement between the City and Spiegel.
A statement from Davenport's City Council alludes to allegations made against former Seventh Ward Alderman Derek Cornette and "other unnamed former elected officials," calling their actions "inappropriate, wrong and appalling." According to the statement, Spiegel is receiving the payment due to these behaviors mentioned.
The council's statement can be read in its entirety below:
"The behavior of elected officials is a very difficult thing to navigate for a city. Certain actions of some current elected officials were inappropriate and wrong. Certain actions of former Alderman Cornette and other unnamed former elected officials were inappropriate, wrong, and appalling. Due to these prolonged and documented instances of harassment by some elected officials directed at City Administrator Spiegel over the past eight years, and on the advice of in house and independent counsel, we agreed to compensate Ms. Spiegel for these behaviors. The amount of compensation is small when compared to what a lengthy lawsuit and an ultimate finding of wrongdoing would have cost the taxpayers.
No truly effective enforcement mechanism currently exists to stop wrongful behavior prior to liability being created for the City. Unfortunately, the damage and pain have to be experienced prior to the problem being removed if an elected official does not stop their behavior voluntarily. Protection of our employees from wrongful, unwanted, harmful behavior is a paramount obligation. Until elected officials can refrain from these behaviors or until we can provide this protection in an effective and timely manner, we will continue to lose great employees.
Future Councils should adopt codes of conduct for their members early on in their terms. More, importantly, future Councils should request the state legislature provide an official who is empowered to investigate and hold accountable local elected officials for their transgressions of the law, codes of conduct and employment policies in a swift and effective manner through fines, suspensions, and removals.
We regret the events that have transpired to bring us to this place. We are closing this chapter with the hopes of never writing another of a similar nature.
No further comments will be made."
Separation agreement between the City of Davenport and Corri Spiegel
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