Bloomington City Council: Approval for a new city manager and various proclaimations

Image from the Bloomington Council meeting

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The city of Bloomington approved a new city manager at its final April Meeting.

Deputy City Manager Jeff Jurgens was elected to be the representative for the new City Manager on April 18.

In a unanimous vote, the council appointed Jurgens to the hot seat.

Tim Gleason will step down after six years in the position, as he will be relocating to Decatur.

“I truly want to thank the community, this is an amazing community and I also want to thank the staff for all of their hard work that they’ve done over the years,” Gleason said. This is not ‘goodbye,’ it’s just ‘see you around.'”

Jurgens will assume the role on May 6, the first meeting of the month for the council.

“This obviously is his night and he’s going to do an amazing job for this community,” Gleason said. “He’s going to put his style and touch on the council’s vision, and just do great things, even better than what I’ve accomplished.”

Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe gave his opening statement to welcome the new member to the table.

“I believe we have found a leader who embodies the values of accountability, transparency and inclusivity that are central to our vision of the City of Bloomington,” the mayor said.

The mayor and other council members shifted to voice their thoughts on Gleason’s departure and the impact he made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You’ve guided the city through the turbulent times of COVID, and the city is in much better shape,” Mwilambwe said.

“I’d like to add my thanks to you in this community during a particularly rough time in our history,” councilmen Mollie Ward said.

Honors at the meeting continued when Mwilambwe issued three proclamations for groups in the Bloomington-Normal area to be recognized.

The week of April 14-20 was honored as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week and April to be known as National 911 Education Month. The month was also recognized as Fair Housing Month to raise awareness to eliminate discriminatory acts in real estate.

The mayor concluded with the acknowledgement of April 26 as Arbor Day by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.

For one last time, Gleason gave a list of upcoming events in the downtown area:

• May 3 – May First Friday: Flower Power from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• May 4 – Downtown Farmer’s Market from 7:30 a.m – noon
• May 4 – Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival Concert from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Jurgens will make debut at the next city council meeting on May 6 at 6 p.m. at the government boardroom.