Decatur City Manager Tim Gleason finalist for Bloomington city manager job

May 29--BLOOMINGTON -- Decatur City Manager Tim Gleason is one of three final candidates to take up the same position for the city of Bloomington.

Gleason, who has been city manager since 2015, did not take questions on the matter Tuesday, but in a statement said:

"I have been named a finalist for city manager in Bloomington. It is a great professional opportunity in a great community and would get me closer to my family. This would be important at any time but especially at this point for the Gleason family. If selected, I leave a great community where many things have been accomplished with much more to come."

Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said Gleason's desire for the Bloomington is more for personal than professional reasons.

"His mother is in the area, he's got grandkids (nearby in the Peoria area)," she said. "It's nothing about Decatur; he loves it here. It's just an opportunity he really needed to pursue, and I'm not surprised he's a finalist -- he's probably the top candidate."

The announcement comes three months after the Decatur City Council approved a two-year contract renewal for Gleason, the only major changes in terms being a 6 percent raise, and a requirement the city manager give 30 days notice to leave the position rather than 60. Gleason's current salary is $176,507.

"We knew that we were not as competitive as we needed to be," Moore Wolfe said of Gleason's contract renewal. "But for him, it wasn't about the money, and more about the position here."

Gleason was hired after City Manager Ryan McCrady left to become president of the Economic Development Corp. of Decatur and Macon County. He previously was city manager for Washington, Illinois, and worked about 20 years in law enforcement. Gleason was also deputy director of human resources and management operations at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and chief executive officer of Illinois Correctional Industries.

In his three-year tenure with the city, Gleason has been credited by officials with improving the management of city finances and pushing for tax increases to pay for infrastructure updates. He has led city staff in developing a neighborhood revitalization project and advised the city council in managing a $3.2 million deficit budget, approved in December.

Gleason was also the subject of a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former police Chief Brad Sweeney. The case was dismissed by judges at the trial and appellate court levels. Sweeney and the city reached a separation agreement a year ago that changed his status from terminated to retired.

Gleason "has done an outstanding job for us, and he's weathered some pretty rough storms, but he has positioned this city very well to move forward with the projects we have going on and those yet to be announced," Moore Wolfe said.

Thirty-one applied for the position, and finalists were "selected based on their qualifications, likely fit for the community and organization, and a compelling reason and desire to be in Bloomington," according to a statement from Bloomington. Finalists are meeting with city staff and city council members. A public meet-and-greet with the public is planned June 5 at Bloomington City Hall.

Another final candidate for the job is the interim city manager, Steve Rasmussen, who is overseeing a plan to balance a $2.9 million deficit budget. Rasmussen took over after David Hales left to become city manager of Joliet. Rasmussen's salary as interim city manager is $141,834.

The third finalist for the Bloomington position is Jim Culotta, city administrator for Washington, Illinois. Gleason held Culotta's position before he became Decatur's city manager.

The Bloomington council approved a contract with executive search firm GovHR USA in February to fill the position. The same firm conducted the search for Decatur city manager when Gleason was hired.

The Bloomington listing on the GovHR USA website says the salary range is $125,773-$188,660, but the city council "will consider a salary of up to $225,000 depending upon qualifications and experience of the successful candidate." The listing says the position oversees 650 full-time employees and a $200 million annual budget.

Bloomington is facing similar financial pressures as other small Central Illinois cities like Decatur. State Farm is headquartered in Bloomington, but the insurance giant recently announced it would move the rest of its employees from its downtown building.

Contact Tom Lisi at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @tommylisi

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