The City of Lake City welcomed its new City Administrator, Jacob Matthews, this week as he officially takes over at the helm of community operations. Interim City Administrator Lee Vogt has served in the role since October after Eric Wood, the former admin, resigned following his arrest for allegedly falsifying Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) certification documents for former officers in the town’s department. Matthews graduated from Utah State University in 2008 with a degree in Business Management and earned his master’s in Public Administration from the University of Utah in 2013. For the past decade, he has worked in multiple fields for municipal governments.
Before coming to Lake City, Matthews served as the city manager for the City of Fairbury, Neb. from July through November of last year. His employment there ended due to a difference in viewpoints between himself and city officials. Matthews says he learned of the opening in Lake City soon after it became available and was immediately interested.
Public trust at city hall has diminished somewhat after challenges in the Lake City Police Department led to the hire of a new Police Chief, Dan Schaffer, and the community had been without a full-time administrator for nearly five months. Matthews says he hopes to restore the public’s faith.
Matthews’ family has already relocated to Lake City. He and his wife, Carolyn, have three children, ages 8, 6, and 3, and they look forward to getting to know their new neighbors in the coming months. He encourages residents to stop by city hall during office hours to introduce themselves and bring any concerns they may have to his attention.
