Jefferson City is looking for a new city administrator after firing its current one. The City Council voted in a closed session Monday to immediately terminate Nathan Nickolaus’ contract.
Mayor Eric Struemph requested the motion to terminate, and it passed by an 8-2 vote. Nickolaus had been city administrator for 2 years and says the news was unexpected.
“It was very much out of the blue," Nickolaus said. "I think that things actually had been going very well recently, and I think we’ve been making a lot of progress in the city. So I was surprised, you know.”
Nickolaus says he wasn’t given a reason for his termination, just a statement from the Mayor that the Council wanted to move in a new direction.
Nickolaus worked as City Attorney for 8 years before becoming city administrator in 2011. He says he has no future plans as of right now, but is keeping his options open.
The Council appointed current City Attorney Drew Hilpert as the interim city administrator, and will begin the search for Nickolaus’ permanent replacement.