Fort Madison City Manager Resigns

Fort Madison, IA – Fort Madison's city manager has stepped down amid pressure from a majority of the city council. The city council voted 4-3, last night, to accept Bill Kelly's resignation. Chris Greenwald, who was one of the council members calling for Kelly's resignation, says the city needs to move in a different direction. Kelly, who served as Fort Madison's city manager for 5 years, did not attend the special meeting. His resignation takes effect immediately. Mayor Steve Ireland says the city will buy out the remainder of Kelly's contract for about $60,000. Ireland says he will assume the day-to-day duties at City Hall. He plans to start discussions on the future of the city manager post at the council's first meeting in June. Those talks could include starting the search for a new administrator or exploring the possiblity of eliminating the post and going to a mayor-city council form of government. This move comes after Fort Madison Fire Chief, Mike Walker, offered his resignation, earlier this month, so he could take a job on the East Coast.