City hires interim manager

Don Eikmeier

Acting on the recommendation of the city manager search committee, the Cherokee City Council voted 4 to 1 to hire an interim city manager, effective Sept. 15, 2008.

Donald B. Eikmeier was present at the Tuesday meeting of the council and was introduced by John Cook of the city manager search committee. The committee had decided to seek an interim city manager, not only to assume the duties of top administrator for the city but also to work toward recruiting a long-term city manager.

The committee contacted Innovative Government Solutions, based in Elkhorn, Neb., that provides the service of an interim manager. Cook noted that after meeting with Eikmeier, it was the unanimous decision of the committee to recommend that the city council use the services of Eikmeier, founder of Innovative Government Solutions.

Eikmeier has 15 years experience as a city administrator, the last position being the city administrator in Elkhorn, Neb. The city ceased to exist as the result of involuntary annexation by the city of Omaha.

Prior to working for the city of Elkhorn, Eikmeier worked for the city of La Vista, Neb., the city of Seward, Neb., the Southeast Nebraska Development District, and the North Central Regional Planning Commission (Beloit, Kans.).

Eikmeier served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army, which included a tour of duty in Vietnam, which ended in Aug. 1971.

In 1974, he earned a BS in Geography with a minor in Political Science from Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney).

He subsequently has done graduate work at Akron University and at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Because of previous commitments, Eikmeier will not be available to assume his position in Cherokee until Set. 15. He does plan on coming to the city a few times before that.

Mick Mallory, who has opposed continuing the position of city manager, cast the only vote against hiring Eikmeier. A target of spring of 2009 has been set for hiring a long-term city manager.