Scott City hires new administrator

The Scott City Council has hired Mark O�Dell, a veteran of Kansas City, Missouri, government, as its new city administrator.

This will be the fourth person to serve as city administrator since 2017.

City officials announced the hiring in an emailed news release Friday.

The Southeast Missourian sought additional comment from Mayor Norman Brant, but voice messages left with the mayor were not returned as of Friday afternoon.

City officials said they conducted an extensive search involving 20 candidates. The council �was presented with some very talented and qualified candidates,� according to the release.

Council members voted unanimously for the new hire.

O�Dell will begin his duties as city administrator in 30 days, officials said.

O�Dell has worked in the office of the city manager for Kansas City, Missouri, for more than 20 years, the release stated.

He will make a salary of $60,000, according to minutes from a Sept. 13 special meeting of the Scott City Council posted on the city�s website. O�Dell also will receive a one-time moving expense of $2,500.

During his career, he has worked as a manager of the Kansas City health department, housing and community development, capital improvements/management office, office of management/budget, water department and fire department, Scott City officials said.

�He also has extensive involvement with finance, human resources and technical support,� the release stated.

O�Dell prepared and drafted budgets for the Kansas City government. He also managed contracts totaling more than $20 million in Housing and Urban Development block grants, Scott City officials said.

�Hundreds of grants for the city of Kansas City were managed, reviewed and awarded by Mr. O�Dell,� the release stated.

O�Dell has a master�s of public administration degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

According to the release, he is �married with children� and wanted his family �to enjoy a life of growing up in a smaller, family-oriented community just as he did.�

City officials said O�Dell �will be a great asset� to the Scott County community.

The city has operated without a city administrator since Doug Richards resigned in June after less than eight months on the job.

Richards, who formerly served as director of the Southeast Missouri State University Department of Public Safety, was hired in November 2017. He was the third person to serve as city administrator in 2017.

He was hired after former West Park Mall operations manager Mike Crowden first accepted, but then turned down the job.

Ron Eskew resigned as city administrator in March 2017 amid an investigation into allegations of improper use of city funds.

Diann Ulmer, former superintendent of Scott City schools, was hired in July 2017 as administrator. She resigned in August 2017, but was rehired in September of that year to assist the council in the search for a new administrator.

The revolving door of city administrators occurred while the council dealt with allegations, raised by then Mayor Ron Cummins and others, of improper use of city credit cards by some city employees. Cummins resigned last year.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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