DAVENPORT, Iowa — Davenport's new City Administrator Doug Maxeiner has officially been in the role for around two weeks, with his official start date back on Oct. 28.
Maxeiner, who previously served as city administrator for Moline and East Moline, spoke to News 8 back in September when City Council approved him to fill the position. It was the first time an acting Davenport city administrator had spoken with us in over four years.
Davenport has had two interim city administrators following the departure of Corri Spiegel late last year. Mallory Merritt, who served as assistant city administrator and the City's chief financial officer, served in the role until she announced she was resigning in August. Public Works Director Nicole Gleason had served as interim until Maxeiner took over.
Maxeiner has over 30 years of experience working in local government management. Along with working for the Cities of Moline and East Moline, he has worked in city/village governments for Wauconda, Hampshire, McHenry and Marengo in Illinois. Maxeiner was selected as part of a nationwide search by the City of Davenport.
News 8's Joe Habersham caught up with Maxeiner on Wednesday. The city administrator explained what his first couple of weeks in office have been like and what he wants to see for Davenport's future.
The first couple of weeks might have started slower than he wanted, but Maxeiner is eager to serve the people.
"With everything that happened in Davenport over the past two years here, we really want to get back on a positive trajectory and make sure people are confident that the city is working for them," Maxeiner said.
He realizes he's coming into his new position at a tough time and has to earn residents' trust again. Some have lost faith in Davenport officials, feeling the City did not do enough to prevent the Davenport apartment collapse in 2023. He understands their concerns but says he's focused on moving forward.
"There might be some lessons to be learned there long-term," Maxeiner expressed. "But initially, I've got such time constraints on some of these things that I really want to move forward and make sure that we've got our best foot forward to meet those challenges and opportunities."
Finding out what to do with Davenport's budget and remaining ARPA funds is at the top of Maxeiner's list of priorities. The city received $41 million, which must be allocated by the end of the year and spent before 2027.
Right now, he's dialed into finding the Davenport Junior Theater a new home, expanding animal control services and figuring out solutions for the city's unhoused population.
"We've got more resources to go after some of those opportunities, and that's what I'm excited to get involved in," Maxeiner explained.