|
 Illinois State Police Director Jonathon Monken said an autopsy was
planned Wednesday for Davlin, a 53-year-old Democrat whose body was
found Tuesday morning by officers responding to a 911 call to his
home.
Monken said it was not immediately clear who made the emergency
call, saying that was part of the investigation that included
interviews with Davlin's neighbors and a search of the mayor's home.
Police Chief Robert Williams told reporters earlier Tuesday that his
department turned over the investigation to Illinois State Police,
given "the unique nature, Mr. Davlin being my boss."
Davlin, mayor of the 120,000-resident city since April 2003,
recently had announced he wouldn't seek a third four-year term in
office but denied the financial dispute was a factor in his
decision.
The State Journal-Register in Springfield reported Tuesday that
Davlin failed to appear in court that morning as ordered in a
probate case involving the estate of one of his cousins, Margaret
Ettelbrick, who died in 2003.
The newspaper reported that Davlin failed to meet a court deadline
for a financial accounting of the estate. Patrick "Tim" Timoney
withdrew as lawyer for the estate in October, saying he could not
come up with a final accounting because Davlin had not provided
documentation. Timoney last week submitted a claim against the
estate for more than $19,000 in legal fees.
Circuit Judge Pete Cavanagh ordered Davlin and Bradley Huff, an
attorney for Catholic Charities of Springfield, to appear for
Tuesday's hearing to discuss the accounting and the status of
attorneys in the estate case. After Davlin's no-show, Cavanagh
removed him as the estate's administrator.
In October, the newspaper reported that Davlin owed the federal
government nearly $90,000 in unpaid income taxes, and liens had been
filed against his home. The lien notice filed in the Sangamon County
recorder's office showed that Davlin, who as mayor earned $119,000 a
year, owed income taxes for the years 2003, 2005 and 2006.
At the time, the mayor blamed the problem on a dispute with the IRS
over taxes owed on investments he cashed in to buy the home for
$237,500 in 2004.
Gov. Pat Quinn called Davlin's death "truly a tragedy," saying in a
statement that "the city of Springfield is a better place because of
his leadership."
"He was not only a champion for Springfield but also for the entire
state, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him," said
Quinn, a fellow Democrat.
Davlin, in announcing he wouldn't seek re-election, told Springfield
radio station WFMB last month that he wanted to leave office before
getting burned out. Davlin insisted then that financial issues had
nothing to do with that decision involving the nonpartisan post he
called "grueling."
"No one has any idea what it's like until they've been there," he
told the station, noting that one of his most-trying times in office
came earlier this year after union employees rejected his proposed
contract concessions of smaller pay increases and furlough days,
forcing temporary layoffs of 17 firefighters and the interim closure
of firehouses. [to top of second column] |
"He was the kind of man who didn't like the thought of having to lay
off people," Alderwoman Gail Simpson said tearfully Tuesday, calling
the mayor "a wonderful guy" who she said told her roughly a week or
so ago his decision to not seek re-election left him at peace. "He
seemed like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I got the
sense that he couldn't make everybody happy, so he was relieved that
he wouldn't have to try anymore."
"He didn't appear under additional stress lately, and that makes it
more shocking that this happened," she added.
Davlin was a political novice when elected in 2003, having been an
insurance and investment broker after graduating from a local high
school and getting an associate degree from Springfield College
before attending what now is the University of Illinois at
Springfield.
As mayor, Davlin welcomed the 2005 opening of the Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum and helped guide the city less than
a year later through the aftermath of a tornado, marshaling hundreds
of workers and thousands of volunteers in the cleanup effort. The
city last year also completed a $500 million, 200-megawatt power
plant.
"His work with my office always reflected his dedication to our
hometown," Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, said in a statement, noting
that Davlin's death left him "stunned and saddened."
Davlin, a father of four, has four grandchildren.
An alderman, Frank Kunz, is mayor pro tem. City law requires that a
new mayor be selected within 60 days.
[Associated
Press]
Copyright 2010 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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