Ex-City Manager Stephen Atkins of Iowa City dies at 78
Stephen Atkins, who as Iowa City’s city manager for more than two decades oversaw the development of downtown and coordinated disaster recovery in the wake of the 1993 flood and 2006 tornado, has died.
Atkins, 78, lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease Aug. 1, according to his obituary.
The Dayton, Ohio, native earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Dayton. While trying to earn enough money to pay his tuition, he began his career in local government in the mailroom of Dayton's city hall. His father, a firefighter, inspired him to begin working in public service, his obituary says.
After earning his master of public administration, Atkins worked as a city manager in California, Connecticut, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois in the 1970s and '80s. But after he took the reigns as Iowa City’s city manager in 1986, he stayed until his retirement in 2007, serving with seven mayors.
"I was ready for a longer-term commitment in the sense of I like college towns," he explained to Ellen Buchanan in a 2011 interview for the Iowa City Public Library's Library Channel.
"You know, quite frankly, I like the place," he added. "... Why move on?"
His obituary credits him for his workplace philosophy of “management by walking around,” and said he knew the names of more than 500 of his colleagues in Iowa City. He told Buchanan he thought his legacy would be his consistency.
"I was involved at a time when there was virtually unprecedented growth going on in the community," he said. "And we managed to do it, I think, the right way. It was not extreme. We didn't get overwhelmed."
He said Iowa City likes to debate issues thoroughly, and that he approached his job with patience and persistence.
"It's the kind of town where virtually nothing that gets done around here that's easy. We just kind of work at beating on each other about it," he said. "And after we're all done we've worn each other out .. . something gets done. And good things get done."
"A lot of little victories are more important to me than the biggies," he said in another part of the interview.
He said he always prided himself on working with disparate groups yet "being forthright," laying out well-argued cases for the initiatives he felt the city needed ― the necessities of growth like roads, sewers and schools while also maintaining a focus on policy issues such as housing equity.
In addition, he said, he thought it was important to allocate resources to promoting the cultural aspects that make Iowa City unique.
"I think we ... are a community that has fun," he said. "... Friday night concerts and new recreation centers, those are fun things. And they're a drain on your tax bill? Absolutely. Would you want to get rid of them? Not a chance, not a chance. I think having fun is part of the character of this community."
Atkins spent his free time painting, reading about American history, playing baseball and raising his daughter April. More recently, he spent time with his granddaughter Olivia. His family has set up an educational fund for her in lieu of flowers.
“He was a good man and a mentor to me,” former Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek said in the obituary. “I remember meeting him not quite 40 years ago. 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.”
In addition to his daughter and granddaughter, Atkins is survived by her mother, Judy Atkins; his sister, Susan Atkins Dlouhy of Rockville, Maryland; and his life-partner, Karin Franklin of Iowa City.
Services were held Wednesday.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: 21-year Iowa City city manager, Stephen Atkins, dies at 78
