OTTUMWA, Iowa —

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...

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