PEKIN, Ill. — The Pekin City Council Monday night fired City Manager Mark Rothert, but Mayor Mark Luft was opposed to the idea.
The council took the vote in open session after meeting for about 1 1/2-hours behind closed doors in executive session. Rothert has held the job since 2018.
When the council returned to open session, Luft thanked the public for its patience as the elected officials worked their way “through a very difficult situation.”
The council voted 4-2 to terminate Rothert, with Luft and Council member John Abel voting no. Dave Nutter, Becky Cloyd, Rick Hilst, and Lloyd Orrick all voted for the dismissal.
By the same vote, the council hired the city’s finance director, Bruce Marston, to serve as interim city manager for the next 90 days. Council member Karen Hohimer was absent from Monday’s meeting.
Nutter and Cloyd are both running for mayor, while Luft has not announced his intentions for next year’s local elections.
Cloyd told 25 News on Sunday that Rothert’s contract was set to expire in November, and the decision to let him go was the result a performance evaluation and not any misconduct.
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