After more than a decade of progressive administrative experience with the city of Galesburg, Cathy St. George is stepping into a new role.
St. George has been selected as Galesburg’s first-ever assistant city manager. She will also serve as the city’s Public Information Officer and Director of Community Engagement.
“Cathy is the ideal candidate to fill this position, bringing a unique combination of experience and expertise in both municipal management and communications,” said City Manager Eric Hanson in a release. “She’s consistently demonstrated exceptional commitment and skill, steadily advancing through promotions to this pivotal leadership position.”
St. George’s salary in the new role is $109,000.
Hanson told TSPR that in his 20 months as city manager, St. George has been instrumental in helping move pivotal initiatives forward.
While an assistant city manager position is more common in metropolitan areas, Hanson said many cities comparable to Galesburg use a similar structure and position.
“Cities like Galesburg are large operations and offer a myriad of services from public safety to recreation to utilities and more. Having worked as an assistant city manager in Normal, prior to my arrival in Galesburg, I know how important it is for city managers to have highly skilled staff leading various aspects of our operations to ensure effective and efficient service delivery to residents,” Hanson said.
He said the addition of an assistant city manager also mirrors the leadership structure of other city departments, in which a director or chief has an assistant director or deputy chief to serve as the “right hand” in carrying out the delivery of city services.
“This not only fulfills the immediate leadership capacity needed to effectively run the city, but also builds leadership within our organization to ensure future success and long-term continuity and stability across the operation,” Hanson said.
As assistant city manager, St. George will serve as a member of the city’s leadership team, contributing to city-wide goals, operational effectiveness, and the management of daily operations. A central responsibility of her new role will be leading the development and execution of a comprehensive citywide communications and engagement strategy, a top-ranked goal in the city’s 2024 strategic plan.
"I’m honored to be selected for this leadership position and grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow within an organization and community with immense potential,” she said in a release. "I look forward to continuing to work alongside our dedicated team to strengthen our engagement with the community and foster practices that position the city for long-term success."
St. George is a two-time graduate of Western Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master of business administration. Prior to joining the city of Galesburg’s staff, she worked at WIU, University of Illinois Extension, and Western Illinois Economic Development Partnership.
In Galesburg, St. George has held multiple roles within city administration related to effective governance and public engagement. She first was an executive secretary for city manager Todd Thompson beginning in 2015. That position was renamed executive assistant in 2018 with expanding responsibilities, such as implementing communications, coordinating the administrative adjudication system, and working with the city attorney as well as the city manager.
In 2023, under City Manager Gerald Smith, St. George was appointed to the newly created position of Administrative Services Manager, in which she managed the day-to-day initiatives of the city manager’s office, handled city communications, put together city council agendas and packets, and managed the administrative adjudication system.
That was after the city moved from having an in-house city attorney and Administrative Services Director to contracting legal services and the administrative services responsibilities being absorbed by other staff.
St. George played important roles to ensure continuous coverage for administrative responsibilities during that transition and during periods of transition in the city manager’s office.
Hanson said while his day-to-day focus and responsibilities as city manager remain much the same with the addition of an assistant city manager, he’s excited to have St. George in this senior administrative role.
Hanson was hired in late 2023 at a salary of $185,000. The city manager’s office is also staffed by Kristin Robinson, who was hired in 2024 as the executive assistant.
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