Conflicting role with construction company forces Freiburg to resign from 3rd Ward seat

QUINCY — A new role in the family business has forced Parker Freiburg to resign from his seat on the Quincy City Council.

Freiburg, a Republican in the city’s 3^rd Ward, announced at the end of Monday’s meeting that the Nov. 28 meeting would be his last. 

He said he will become an owner of Diamond Construction Company, which Freiburg’s parents, Mark and Kim, and his brother, Tanner, bought in April. Diamond is the only asphalt company in the city.

“Due to the contracts (Diamond) currently has with the city, it would cause a prohibitive conflict of interest under the state law (for Freiburg to continue as an alderman),” he said. “Over the last couple of years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with everybody. I know that you (aldermen) are the best to make the best decisions moving forward for our community. 

“Lastly, I would like to thank the residents of Quincy and more particularly, those who live in the 3rd Ward, for voting for me and for trusting me with to serve you in this capacity.”

Freiburg said he hoped to maintain his spot on the City Council.

“I had (the city’s) counsel look into it, and they said, no, it was a conflict,” he said. “So I left it at that. Eventually, I knew I would buy in, but then the opportunity came up because my mom didn’t want any part of it.”

Freiburg said he will become the company’s chief financial officer and treasurer.

When Freiburg was elected as an alderman, “a deal like this wasn’t even close to being on our radar,” he said. “It was very spontaneous. The previous owners of Diamond (Gregory Miller was the president of the company that was owned by the Miller family for 75 years) wanted to get out. They were getting older, and they wanted a succession plan.”

Freiburg called his work for the city “an experience I will never forget.”

“I enjoyed working with all the other aldermen, all the committees that I sat on, and just really enjoyed serving the people that I was elected for,” he said. “I’m very thankful that I got the opportunity to do this.”

Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says the city has 60 days to find Freiburg’s replacement.

“We’re going to have to get with the Republican chairman, call the all the precinct committee people for Ward 3, look at who’s interested, do the interviewing, and then we’ll be making a selection,” he said. 

Freiburg received 76 percent of the vote in the April 2021 consolidated general election, defeating Democrat Jesse Hayner to earn a four-year term as a replacement for Jared Holbrook as an alderman.

Three seats on the City Council have seen change in the past 17 months.

Kelly Mays, a Republican, replaced Jason Finney in the other 3^rd Ward seat in July 2021. Patty Maples, a Democrat, replaced Katie Awerkamp in the 6^th Ward in May 2022. Finney and Awerkamp both said they were moving out of their wards.