Pekin City Council

Pekin's city council remains divided over apparent personal differences, evidenced by a recent split vote on naming police chief John Dossey as the full-time city manager. In her latest quarterly interview with WCBU, Mayor Mary Burress discusses her desire to move the city forward.

The city of Pekin will loan Cullinan Properties $5 million to redevelop the former Bergner's at East Court Village.

John Dossey will drop the "interim" from his city manager title after a divided Pekin City Council voted to hire him permanently for the job.

Mayor Mary Burress had city clerk Sue McMillan hand-deliver a letter to Deborah Montgomery on Aug. 7 informing her that she was being booted off the commission.

Whoever is chosen will have the task of filling vacant positions on the city staff that includes a finance director, an economic development director and a human resources director.

The city of Pekin's ethics commission is no more. The council voted Monday to eliminate the commission in favor of a hearing officer who will investigate complaints and make recommendations to elected officials.

A development firm says it has retailers interested in the former Pekin Bergner's property, but will need financial support from the city to clinch the deal.

The Pekin city council has approved a separation agreement with finance director and former interim city manager Bruce Marston.

The city manager position is one of three key leadership roles Pekin still needs to fill, and clear factions have developed among city council members.

Those are the allegations the city's human resources department substantiated against him in a recent redacted investigation memo obtained by WCBU through the Freedom of Information Act.