Seven of the 10 members on Davenport’s city council have voted to remove a member accused of misconduct.
Davenport Alderman Derek Cornette was accused of showing up drunk for council meetings and harassing city staff. The human resources director for the City of Davenport says if Cornette had been a city employee, he would have been fired for his offensive language and conduct. Cornette says he’ll run for reelection and his attorney says Cornette will go to court to challege his removal from Davenport’s city council.
It’s rare for local government councils and boards to remove fellow members. The Des Moines City Council was preparing to take that step, but a councilwoman who hadn’t attended council meetings for six months submitted her resignation this week. Three years ago, a Woodbury County supervisor resigned rather than sue to keep his seat on the county board after officials determined he had moved out of the district he was elected to represent.
(By Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio; O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa)