Alleged whistleblower sues City of Ottumwa after being fired
by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 26, 2025
The City of Ottumwa’s fired director of community development is now suing the municipality for allegedly retaliating against him as a whistleblower.
Zachary Simonson is suing the City of Ottumwa in U.S. District Court, alleging violations of his rights as a veteran and a whistleblower.
Court records indicate Simonson was hired by the city in 2017 as a seasonal housing inspector and eventually worked as a building inspector and planner before being named director of community development in May 2021.
The lawsuit claims that beginning in January 2024, City Administrator Phil Rath and Human Resources Director Barb Codjoe began making disparaging remarks about a particular council member during weekly department head meetings.
Rath, the lawsuit claims, speculated that the council member had dementia or some other impairment, and Codjoe questioned whether the council member could complete his term of office. Simonson claims he was disturbed by the remarks and attempted to redirect discussions toward proactive engagement with the council.
In late 2024, the city conducted an internal investigation into an anonymous complaint allegedly filed against Simonson but did not inform him of the nature of that investigation.
According to the lawsuit, on Dec. 19, 2024, Simonson filed a formal complaint with the city, alleging the city’s finance director had brought a bottle of Crown Royal Canadian whisky to a city meeting in violation of the city’s zero-tolerance policy on alcohol. Days later, the city allegedly placed Simonson on a performance improvement plan.
In February 2025, Simonson informed Rath that he planned to notify the Ottumwa City Council he was a finalist for the Oskaloosa city manager position while informing the council he was unhappy about the performance improvement plan and an allegedly hostile work environment.
The lawsuit alleges Rath urged Simonson not to reference the performance improvement plan, but Simonson did so anyway.
In March 2025, Simonson was still working for the City of Ottumwa — the City of Oskaloosa had hired another individual as its city manager — when, the lawsuit claims, he spoke to Landfill Supervisor Lori Creech regarding the landfill being closed without his authorization. In his lawsuit, Simonson alleges he spoke to Creech in a professional and respectful manner, but Creech later claimed he was “screaming and rude” to her.
The city then fired Simonson, alleging gross misconduct related to the conversation with Creech.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for alleged violations of the Iowa Veterans’ Preference Act, violations of Simonson’s due process rights and First Amendment rights, and retaliation for whistleblowing.
The city has yet to file a response to the lawsuit, and a trial date has yet to be scheduled.
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