Days removed from the winter solstice, when Iowa’s nights are the longest, we have another example of the absence of sunshine in Iowa government. And this example shows why the Legislature has much to do about openness and accountability when it convenes on January 12.
A court decision last week with ties to the collapse in May 2023 of an apartment building in Davenport highlights the urgent need for legislative action. The case involves more than the public’s right to know, considering that three people died in the collapse and rescue workers needed to amputate a survivor’s leg to free her from the rubble.
Before the collapse, tenants and community activists raised concerns to Davenport officials about the structural integrity of the six-story building located across the street from City Hall. But city leaders moved slowly, even a few hours before the tragedy when a passing masonry worker noticed a bulging rear wall and called the fire department.
The officials’ lack of urgency to those complaints became a political issue in that year’s city election. Davenport’s mayor and City Council openly defended the city staff. But in late summer, the city attorney negotiated lucrative separation payments to the city administrator and two of her administrative assistants in exchange for their resignations.
All the while, these officials kept Davenport residents in the dark — and accountability suffered.
The public did not learn the details of the settlements with City Administrator Corrin Spiegel and assistants Tiffany Thorndike and Samantha Torres — $1.6 million for Spiegel, $157,000 for Thorndike, $140,500 for Torres — until after the city election.
