Several residents used the Oct. 22 Davenport City Council meeting to press for information about a 2023 settlement between the city and a departing administrator and to raise allegations of workplace harassment, while council members clarified who was on the council in 2023 and the meeting ended with a unanimous vote to go into executive session to discuss litigation and a real estate transaction.

Cheryl Scheidna addressed the council during public comment and asked whether the city’s legal department had sought further appeals to federal courts in connection with qualified immunity matters that she said are being handled with outside counsel. She described paying taxpayer money for outside counsel and asked whether appeals had been considered or continued toward the U.S. Supreme Court; the transcript records the question but does not show a council or staff response on the record.

Resident Latrice Lacy described sustained workplace harassment she said began in 2023 and criticized the timing of public disclosures tied to elections. Lacy said the conduct disrupted city services and alleged the city’s response had prioritized insiders over residents who rely on programs and services.

Alderman Kelly said he was not a member of the council in 2023 and urged the public to note which current members were new to the council. He read a series of dates and public documents that are already in the public record: a demand letter in September 2023, a closed session on Oct. 4, 2023, an agreement signed Oct. 6, 2023, a news announcement on Nov. 22, 2023, and a judge’s review. Kelly cited an order by the Hon. Judge Mark Cleave dated Feb. 25, 2025 that states, in part, "It is apparent from the audio recording that all the council members present assented to the proposed settlement," and that the council intended to ratify the agreements. Kelly said five members of the current council — including himself — were not on the council in 2023 and therefore were not privy to those sessions.

Alderman Rickdown asked for a plain‑language definition of "assent;" someone on the dais read the Oxford Dictionary definition as "the expression of approval or agreement." Kelly later reminded listeners that he said "no" during the relevant historic vote.

At the meeting’s close, the council voted 10–0 in a roll call to move into executive session "to discuss strategy with counsel in matters involving litigation pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.5 and to discuss a real estate transaction pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.5." The council did not return to open session and adjourned from the executive session according to the transcript.

Why it matters: Commenters raised ongoing questions about transparency, personnel decisions and legal spending; council members cited court records and meeting dates already in the public record and acknowledged limits to what current members can speak to about prior council actions.

The transcript records residents’ allegations and council members’ statements and shows the council entered executive session by unanimous roll call. The meeting record in this transcript does not include any new public response to the specific questions about appeals or the alleged harassment beyond the public comments and the council’s stated procedure to move into closed session.