Fort Madison’s new city manager, Laura Liegois, grew up in Muscatine, and said her family is excited to be moving back to an Iowa river town.
“We are looking forward to going back home. The eastern side of the state, for us, is home, and so we're excited about getting back along the river,” said Liegois, who begins work in Fort Madison on Jan. 22.
She will succeed David Varley, who resigned in May.
Liegois is already familiar with Fort Madison – she worked as a consultant for the community in 2018.
And before applying for the city manager job, Liegois came back to the area to take a look at what was happening. She was impressed by what she saw.
“There have been street projects, there has been new lighting added to their street projects. You could tell that they have invested in their parks, that they are making plans and there's a momentum that I did not see five years ago,” she said.
Liegois spent the past four-and-a-half years as the city administrator in Chariton, a city of around 4,000 people that’s 50 miles south of Des Moines.
She said she helped lead new developments and investments in Chariton, including $3.5 million in sewer plant upgrades and a $565,000 splash pad at the city’s aquatic center.
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