New Quincy city administrator says communication is crucial

QUINCY — New Quincy City Administrator Joe Harris said one of the things he’s learned in his first two weeks on the job is that Quincy has a lot going on. 

“It’s really impressive, and humbling. Being in the area the last 20-some years, I kind of know what's going on. I've got some friends in different areas of government, so maybe know a little bit more than the average Joe,” Harris said. “But day two or three (on the job), I'm riding around with Carl Worley, our public works guy, and he's showing me all these projects, and I did not even fathom the scope of some of these projects.” 

Harris replaces Pat Haley, who resigned in February. Greg Meinzer acted as the interim city manager while the search for a replacement was underway. 

Harris cited the walking path under construction as an example.  

I knew about the walking path because you can see it in certain areas. But I didn't know that the plan is to go from the QPlex on the far west side of town all the way to the (Quincy Aquatic Center), and we've got a good majority of it done,” he said. 

The new planting strip along SR 28 is another example, he said. He had an idea what the project would be, but not the scope. 

“I learn what it is, and I’m like, ‘This is really cool.’ There’s a lot of stuff to be proud of,” he said. 

Harris said he wants to keep the city’s momentum going. 

“That’s what I’m here to figure out,” he said. 

To that end, Harris said Quincy City Council members expressed a wish for better communication, both inside and outside town. 

“A big piece that came out of the interview process for this position was we need a stronger public relations piece in the city, which is something I'm working on right now,” Harris said. “I don't know what it's going to look like yet, but there is a ton of stuff happening in the city of Quincy that the citizens of Quincy don't know, and it's because the city hasn't done a very good job of passing that information. I don't want to say it's that we're not transparent because I think the city is very transparent. But there's no avenue to disseminate that information, so people just simply don't know.” 

Getting Quincy’s story out – and not only in Quincy – is crucial, he said.  

“If people don’t know what we’re trying to do, they’re not going to come and invest,” he said.  

City officials have good relationships with their counterparts in the Quincy School District, Quincy Valley Medical Center and the Port of Quincy, he said, and he wants to continue that. 

“We can make them stronger,” he said. 

With about two weeks on the job, Harris said he’s been impressed with what he’s found, both the scope of projects in town and that city officials continue to work on them. 

Finding adequate water and electricity as Quincy grows are major challenges, he said, and the city officials have been working for years to address them. 

“Power and water are probably the two biggest roadblocks for any city,” he said. “I think we’re in a good spot.” 

City officials have been working on projects to get more water, conserve water the city already has, and reuse water where possible. Harris said those projects will continue, and the city is picking up partners.  

“The city goes out to our manufacturers and says, ‘Hey guys, we need to talk water usage.’ Manufacturing plants, they use a ton of water – they use way more water than a data center does,” he said. “The manufacturing community then came back and said, ‘Okay, yes, we want to help.’”  

Quincy officials also are working on electrical generation projects with the Port of Quincy and the Grant County PUD, he said. Those projects also will continue. 

There are some opportunities inside Quincy City Hall, he said, providing additional training for city staff. That’s one of the lessons he learned while working in law enforcement, he said. 

“I'm a big believer in training. When somebody calls 911, they want the most qualified, best trained police officer to show up and handle their problem, as they should. And that applies to public works; that applies to the finance department. That applies to public records,” he said. “That applies to everything that we do. We are here to provide a service to the city. Customer service is huge. There are some opportunities for the city, I think, to invest in our people.” 

Harris said he’s always been interested in public service. 

“I love helping my community and the more I learned, and the more I did, I wanted to make an impact,” he said.  

Harris said working in law enforcement showed him that he was most interested in city management. To that end, he worked for and was awarded a doctorate in public administration in 2022. When the job of Quincy city administrator came up, he decided to apply for it, he said. 

“Here’s an opportunity to get back to something I love,” Harris said. “I could look at it and say: ‘What’s best for me and my family? And it was clearly this.’”