Rasmussen one of three finalists for next Bloomington city manager

Posted on May 29, 2018

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Interim Bloomington City Manager Steve Rasmussen has made the final cut along with two other Central Illinois city managers to become Bloomington’s permanent city manager.

The city announced Tuesday the three finalists to replace David Hales, who left in November to become Joliet’s city manager.

Rasmussen was Hales’ top assistant, and the city council named him to the interim post upon Hales’ departure.

Another finalist is Decatur City Manager Tim Gleason. Like Rasmussen, Gleason served in the military. Gleason also spent more than 20 years in law enforcement. He was CEO of Illinois Correctons Industries and Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Gleason was Washington, Illinois’ city manager when a tornado damaged a large portion of the community in 2013, and helped lead the rebuilding effort.

Also in the running is current Washington City Administrator Jim Culotta. He’s the former Town Administrator for the Chicago suburb of Barrington and Director of Administration and Interim Town Manager for Fishers, Indiana.

The public will have a chance to ‘Meet and Greet’ all three candidates at a city hall forum next Tuesday night at 5 p.m.

The city said in a news release it received 31 applications in all from 15 states. Aldermen in February hired a consultant at a cost of $20,000 to help conduct the search.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…