Mays one of two finalists for position of city manager in Pekin

PEKIN, Ill. — Jeff Mays, director of administrative services for the city of Quincy, is one of two finalists for the position of city manager in Pekin.

Members of the Pekin City Council had a special meeting on Friday to complete their final round of interviews with Mays and Pekin Police Chief John Dossey to see who would be the best fit to be the new city manager.

“10 months is too long to go without a city manager,” Pekin Mayor Mary Burress told WMBD-TV, a CBS affiliate in Peoria. 

Another set of interviews with Dossey and Mays were held July 31.

Mays acknowledged he was a finalist to Muddy River News, but had no further comment.

Burress said Friday the council hoped to choose their next city manager within the next week.

Mays was appointed by then-Mayor Kyle Moore in February 2019 as the interim director of administrative services. He replaced John “Skip” Bright, who had retired. The interim tag was later removed by the City Council.

Mays had recently completed four years as director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security when he took the job with the city. He oversaw an agency with a $195 million annual budget and 1,150 employees.

Mays also served in the Illinois House for five terms. He also was vice president of the Quincy School Board. He was president of the Illinois Business Round Table for 16 years and vice president of human resources and executive vice president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

Dossey has been serving as the interim city manager since May 22. He filled the position after the Pekin City Council voted to remove interim manager Bruce Marston in May. Marston took over for Mark Rothert, who was fired by the council in October 2022.

Burress told WCBU Radio that both Dossey and Mays “are excellent, qualified candidates.” 

The person selected for the position must fill vacant positions for a finance director, an economic development director and a human resources director.

“We’ve got a lot of people that are doing double duty,” Burress told WCBU. “So (the city manager is) going to have to work very hard to get the key positions filled.”