By Former Aberdeen City Manager Joe Gaa is already the former city manager in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Gaa finished his time in Aberdeen before moving to Marshalltown in September for the same job in that community.
The city of Marshalltown announced his resignation in a news release.
Gaa
“Quite simply, we are not a good fit for each other,” Gaa said in the release.
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While he’s worked as a city administrator in four other towns, he said in the release that he doesn’t believe he can have the same level of success in Marshalltown.
The Marshalltown City Council will have a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 to discuss the next steps in searching for a new city administrator, per the release.
“The city council is committed to finding the right candidate to keep our community moving forward,” the release reads.
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Gaa’s last day on the job in Aberdeen was Sept. 8. He was replaced by longtime city employee Robin Bobzien.
Gaa started as Aberdeen city manager in summer 2020
Gaa started in Aberdeen in summer 2020. He previously worked as city manager in Dickinson, N.D., and as city administrator in Woodbine, Iowa, and Cheriton, Iowa.
“Because Gaa’s employment with the city concluded before the end of his six-month probationary period, he will not receive a severance package,” according to the Marshalltown newspaper, the Times-Republican.
In Aberdeen, former drinking water treatment plant supervisor Bob Braun was critical of Gaa, claiming the plant didn’t have the proper staff to address problems. Those frustrations led to Braun’s resignation. In Gaa’s opinion, the plant operated better after Braun left.
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Gaa was an advocate for Aberdeen expanding its water capacity and was involved in the foundation of the Water Improvement in Northern South Dakota project. WINS is a joint undertaking with the city, WEB Water and BDM Rural Water aimed at expanding water capacity for all three entities. The first phase of the project is moving ahead.