Springfield Mayor Found Dead In Home
UPDATED 12/14/10 2:49 p.m.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- Timothy J. Davlin, the mayor of the state capital of Springfield, has been found dead in his home.
Police Chief Robert Williams says officers responded to a 911 call shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday at Davlin's home and found the Democratic mayor dead.
The State Journal-Register in Springfield reported that Davlin, 53, reportedly died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, but Williams declined to offer details about how Davlin died, saying the investigation is in its infancy. Officials also declined to say who made the 911 call.
"The situation is very dynamic and evolving as we go," Williams told reporters. "That's all I'm at liberty to state at this time."
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Williams says Springfield police have turned over the matter to Illinois State Police, which declined to give details.
Gov. Pat Quinn called Davlin's death "truly a tragedy," saying in a statement that Davlin "was a great public servant who loved Springfield and its people."
"The city of Springfield is a better place because of his leadership," Quinn said. "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."
Davlin failed to appear in court Tuesday morning as ordered in a probate case involving the estate of one of his cousins, Margaret Ettelbrick, who died in 2003. After Davlin's no-show, Circuit Judge Pete Cavanagh removed him as the estate's administrator.
The State Journal-Register 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.
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.
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 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. Sangamon County property records have shown that Davlin bought the home for $237,500 in 2004.
He earned more than $119,000 a year, according to city payroll records from earlier in 2010.
Davlin was nearing the end of his second term as mayor and had not filed to run for another term for the Feb. 22 mayoral election.
He announced last month that he would not seek a third four-year term in 2001, telling Springfield radio station WFMB he wanted to leave office before getting burned out. Davlin insisted at that time 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.
The Springfield City Council has 60 days to select a new mayor and Springfield Ald. Frank Kunz, who is mayor pro tem, will take over mayoral duties until then.
"I'm shocked. It's a sad day," Kunz said.
His first duty was to cancel a committee meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday night. He also will be meeting with Davlin's cabinet Tuesday to figure out how things will work. "As far as I'm concerned, Tim Davlin's administration is still intact. They will run the city and I'll do whatever my responsibility is."
Kunz said he just saw Davlin on Monday at an elections board hearing.
"He seemed fine to me," Kunz said.
Kunz is one of eight candidates running to succeed Davlin.
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.
In his biography posted on the city's website, Davlin lists among his credits his creation of an education liaison tasked with working with local schools, his stumping for a student-driven recycling program, and his formation of a task force on homelessness.
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