During the Feb. 26 meeting of the Eureka City Council, officials approved the employment of incoming City Administrator Joel Laws. Laws, who will begin serving as Eureka City Administrator Tuesday, March 12, is no stranger to municipal government or rural agricultural-centered towns.
In addition to 20 years of experience working in local, state and federal government positions, 14 of those being city government positions, Laws has also spent time working as a private investigator and park ranger during the early years of his career.
Laws has earned three degrees: an Associate’s Degree, A.A.S. Administration of Justice from Southwestern Illinois College; a Bachelor’s Degree, B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois-Springfield and a Master’s Degree, M.P.A. in Public Administration and Policy Analysis from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. After obtaining his Master’s degree, Laws transitioned from working as a Park Ranger with the National Park Service at the Jefferson Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Mo. to working in municipal government. His early career working with municipalities began with part-time, student and assistant roles in Illinois, with Laws later working fulltime as a City Administrator in Illinois and Iowa. He left Iowa in 2012 after accepting a job with the Division of State Parks for the State of Missouri, a position he held until 2016.
In addition to his years of experience serving communities as a city administrator, Laws has performed municipal management consulting services. For the last seven years, Laws has aided cities, predominately those without a city administrator, by serving in short-term roles or working on project-based assignments.
Laws’s familiarity with small towns, agriculture and agribusiness stems from life growing up in rural Illinois. “Unofficially, one of my earliest jobs was helping out on a neighboring farm around 13-14 years of age, throwing bales of hay,” shared Laws.
When asked what drew him to apply for the position, Laws commented, “I saw the opportunity to come to Eureka to start a new chapter in my life in a community very similar to the demographics of where I grew up.” After noting he was impressed by the Eureka Foundation’s page while researching the town, Laws continued, “I have worked with a lot of municipalities in my career and I found that the way Eureka was being represented showed a certain level of pride. It was a nice snapshot to see rural America being represented in a community like Eureka.”
Before meeting with city officials during the application process, Laws was introduced to the city with a tour hosted by Mayor Stephen Coulter. The incoming City Administrator noted the welcoming deportment he was met with as he interviewed for the role, in particular referencing the City Clerk and Mayor. “During the interview process, both of them were very accommodating and friendly to not just myself but also my spouse when we visited.”
Laws shared that his short-term goals include familiarizing himself with city staff, officials and civic organizations to build a strong working relationship and acquainting himself with Eureka residents. “For the long-term I hope to help establish a plan of action in Eureka and see the projects to their completion as we decide as a community on how to move forward into the future together,” shared Laws.
When asked how he hopes to utilize his background and skill set to improve/better the city, Laws commented, “I hope to bring a level of professionalism and insight to Eureka and to help build an even more strong and sound foundation for the community. I think it is very important for me to listen to the residents of Eureka and see what opportunities may be available to improve the services and the quality of life in the community.”
Laws joins the local community after calling the State of Missouri home for nearly 12 years.
