Steve Atkins, who served as city manager of Iowa City for 21 years and said he hoped his legacy would be one of consistency, died Aug. 1 at age 78. He was battling Parkinson’s disease, according to his obituary.
Atkins was city manager from 1986 to 2007, when he retired. Seven mayors served during Atkins’ long tenure.
Former Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, who joined the City Council shortly after Atkins left, said Atkins was a “good man and a mentor to me.”
“I remember meeting him not quite 40 years ago,“ Hayek said in Atkins’ obituary. ”Our families went out for dinner. Little did I know that at the end of his career he would teach me a thing or two about local government. What a legacy he left his community.”
Atkins, of Dayton, Ohio, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Dayton. While in college, he worked in the city hall mail room. It was that and watching his fireman father that inspired Atkins to pursue public service as a career, earning a master’s in public administration, according to his obituary.
Before coming to Iowa City in 1986, Atkins held city management roles in Escondido, Calif., West Hartford, Conn., Norton Shores, Mich., Eau Claire, Wis., and Schaumburg, Ill.
Some of the city projects during Atkins’ tenure included new sewer and water plans, transformation of downtown, managing response to a tornado and flood, and other efforts. He also served on the board of the Johnson County Community Foundation and the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties.
Atkins was known for his philosophy of “management by walking around,” according to his obituary. City staff appreciated his ability to listen, consider new ideas and be decisive.
Ron Knoche, Iowa City’s public works director, said it was clear Atkins cared about his employees. He had a talent of recalling names and faces of city staff.
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Knoche, who has been with the city since 1999, said most of his interactions with Atkins were during the last four years of his tenure, which is when Knoche was the city engineer.
Knoche told The Gazette he always enjoyed talking with Atkins and learning from him. He said Atkins had a way of looking to the future on projects and having a plan in place to “be able to make projects a reality.”
“I would go to him and have discussions about projects that are going on, challenges that we were having or even working through some of the hard decisions that came up on projects,” Knoche said. “There was always a conversation about family in that part of it. He clearly cared about the work, but then also cared about the personal side of things of his employees.”
Atkins, in an interview with the Iowa City Public Library in 2011, said his favorite part about living in Iowa City was the sense of community.
“I can’t put any one particular thing because I think my whole being is community,” Atkins said in 2011. “Community is made up of all sorts of different factions and interests, and the fact that that goes on in a reasonably cordial, reasonably thoughtful fashion.”
Atkins said in the interview his greatest strengths as city manager were being forthright and consistent. When asked what he thinks his legacy will be, Atkins said his consistency. He also spoke about addressing the city’s growth in a responsible way.
“A lot of little victories are more important to me than the biggies,” Atkins said.
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Atkins was city manager from 1986 to 2007, when he retired. Seven mayors served during Atkins’ long tenure.
Former Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, who joined the City Council shortly after Atkins left, said Atkins was a “good man and a mentor to me.”
“I remember meeting him not quite 40 years ago,“ Hayek said in Atkins’ obituary. ”Our families went out for dinner. Little did I know that at the end of his career he would teach me a thing or two about local government. What a legacy he left his community.”
Atkins, of Dayton, Ohio, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Dayton. While in college, he worked in the city hall mail room. It was that and watching his fireman father that inspired Atkins to pursue public service as a career, earning a master’s in public administration, according to his obituary.
Before coming to Iowa City in 1986, Atkins held city management roles in Escondido, Calif., West Hartford, Conn., Norton Shores, Mich., Eau Claire, Wis., and Schaumburg, Ill.
Some of the city projects during Atkins’ tenure included new sewer and water plans, transformation of downtown, managing response to a tornado and flood, and other efforts. He also served on the board of the Johnson County Community Foundation and the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties.
Atkins was known for his philosophy of “management by walking around,” according to his obituary. City staff appreciated his ability to listen, consider new ideas and be decisive.
Ron Knoche, Iowa City’s public works director, said it was clear Atkins cared about his employees. He had a talent of recalling names and faces of city staff.
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Knoche, who has been with the city since 1999, said most of his interactions with Atkins were during the last four years of his tenure, which is when Knoche was the city engineer.
Knoche told The Gazette he always enjoyed talking with Atkins and learning from him. He said Atkins had a way of looking to the future on projects and having a plan in place to “be able to make projects a reality.”
“I would go to him and have discussions about projects that are going on, challenges that we were having or even working through some of the hard decisions that came up on projects,” Knoche said. “There was always a conversation about family in that part of it. He clearly cared about the work, but then also cared about the personal side of things of his employees.”
Atkins, in an interview with the Iowa City Public Library in 2011, said his favorite part about living in Iowa City was the sense of community.
“I can’t put any one particular thing because I think my whole being is community,” Atkins said in 2011. “Community is made up of all sorts of different factions and interests, and the fact that that goes on in a reasonably cordial, reasonably thoughtful fashion.”
Atkins said in the interview his greatest strengths as city manager were being forthright and consistent. When asked what he thinks his legacy will be, Atkins said his consistency. He also spoke about addressing the city’s growth in a responsible way.
“A lot of little victories are more important to me than the biggies,” Atkins said.
Former Iowa City City Manager Steve Atkins dies at age 78
Former Iowa City City Manager Steve Atkins died earlier this month at age 78. Atkins was city manager in Iowa City for 21 years, from 1986 to 2007 when he retired. Seven mayors served during Atkins’ tenure.
www.thegazette.com
