A veteran administrator will assume the duties of City Administrator for the City of Muscatine after his contract was approved by the Muscatine City Council Thursday, December 5.
Matthew T. Mardesen was selected from three finalists following interviews with the City Council, City staff, and representatives of the private sector completing a four-month process to find a replacement for Carol Webb who left in July to take a similar position in Marshalltown, Iowa.
“I am excited to get to Muscatine, learn more about the community, and to meet everyone,” Mardesen said.
The riverfront, downtown, and sport complexes were some of what Muscatine has to offer that attracted Mardesen to apply for the position.
“When my wife (Joni) and I visited Muscatine during the selection process, and asked ourselves if this was a place we could live,” Mardesen said. “Obviously the answer was yes. We felt very welcome into the community everywhere we went.”
The couple looked at the community both professionally and personally and really liked what they saw.
“The community checked all the boxes,” Mardesen said.
Mardesen will officially assume his new role on December 16, 2024, replacing Interim City Administrator Anthony Kies who will resume his full-time position as Chief of the Muscatine Police Department.
“Muscatine is a place that you can find community engagement everywhere you look,” Mardesen said. “From the sports facilities, to the riverfront, to the downtown and city parks, the community is very engaged.”
He feels that Muscatine has so much more to offer its citizens and attract people to live here.
“This will be a great challenge to me,” Mardesen said. “I look forward to building collaboration with the department leaders, the Council, and the citizens of Muscatine.”
Mardesen served as the City Administrator for the City of Monroe, Iowa, for four years and for the City of Nevada, Iowa for three years. He then spent two years as the Chief of Staff for the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa before entering the private sector as a client manager for JEO Consulting Group in Ankeny, Iowa. He has also worked as a part-time police officer for the City of Nevada since 2021.
He brings over two decades of experience dedicated to enhancing community safety and fostering economic development to Muscatine. As the Nevada City Administrator Mardesen was instrumental in leading the city through a $150 million expansion of Burke Corporation, negotiated a $4.2 million Tax Increment Financing agreement for the expansion of Mid-State Material Handling and Fabrication, recovered $4.25 million from a DuPont Development agreement after DuPont closed their Nevada facility, and led Nevada in a development agreement with VERBIO who purchased the DuPont site of $17 million.
“My skills bring a lot of strengths to the economic development world,” Mardesen said. “One of my primary focuses in Muscatine will be on housing.”
The development of adequate housing in Muscatine is key to bringing in people to the community and to build the tax base, but that will take working together with developers to create the structures needed for people to live in Muscatine.
“Diversity of housing is what young professionals are looking for,” Mardesen said. “The more diverse housing we can offer will really benefit us and the future of Muscatine.”
Key to that could be the development of second story living in the downtown district.
Mardesen and his wife, Joni, are excited about the opportunity to enjoy the Muscatine trail system with their dog, Oliver. An avid ice fisherman who also enjoys playing golf in the warmer months, Mardesen and his wife also enjoy refurbishing old homes and bringing new life to the structure.
He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University and is a Certified Public Manager. Mardesen is active in a number of professional organizations and was named the IaCMA City Manager of the Year in 2019.
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