Lou Leone, Monmouth city administrator — inside his first 90 days

He has run a city on a $3 million budget a quarter mile from the Oklahoma line. He has seen asbestos concrete water lines and once ran into a town with bamboo pipes. Four states and more than a decade later, Lou Leone took the Monmouth city administrator job because the mayor, the council and the residents all told him the same thing during the interview, and he had learned not to take that for granted: "In my field, if you're not growing, you're dying." Lou Leone joined Galesburg's Morning News on Monday, July 27, 2026. Listen to the full interview above. He talked about: The one thing under Monmouth that actually surprised him How he plans to hear from residents who never set foot in City Hall The nine acres that could turn into 23 houses, and the vote that decides it Where he draws the line on spending taxpayer money to attract business The three things that will tell him his first year went well What he tries first in every new town he moves to   Related story: 'If you're not growing, you're dying,' Monmouth's new city administrator says 🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg's Morning News on Apple Podcasts 🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg's Morning News on Spotify