Timothy J. Davlin was the mayor of the U.S. city ofSpringfield, Illinois, from April 2003 until his suicide in December 2010 at age 53. Although the Mayor's office is officially non-partisan, the Illinois capital has a strong tradition of partisanship, including municipal races. Both major parties of Sangamon County endorse candidates. Davlin had the backing of the Democratic Party.
Background
Davlin was born on August 27, 1957 to Robert E. and Norene O'Brien Davlin. He attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School, Griffin High School and Springfield College , all Roman Catholic schools. He later attended Sangamon State University and Past Trustee for the Knights of Columbus Council #364. He was one of the youngest men inducted into the Knights of Columbus Diocesan Hall of Fame for exemplary service to the organization. He was a member of St. Agnes' Parish in Springfield, and served on various fundraising committees during the construction on the church and its school. He was a member of the Springfield Motor Boat Club and Illini Country Club. He was elected to a second term on April 19, 2007. However, the Republican-endorsed candidates unexpectedly won nearly every seat on the Springfield City Council, in that same election. Terms for Springfield municipal officials run for four years.
Controversies
In May 2010 the Internal Revenue Service filed a notice of a Federal Tax Lien against Davlin for non-payment of taxes for the years 2003, 2005 and 2006. The amount of unpaid taxes was $89,702.11 He was also under scrutiny for actions as executor of his cousin's probate case. Ultimately, a settlement was reached to recover money found missing from the estate of the late Margaret Ettelbrick after the suicide of her executor, Mayor Davlin. Under the agreement, $250,000 will be paid to Ettelbrick’s estate from the deceased mayor's estate-about $90,000 less than was determined to be missing. Most of the money, in turn, will be paid to Catholic Charities, as specified in Ettelbrick’s will. The money will come largely from the sale of Midwest Service Corp. stock owned by Davlin, much of which apparently was purchased using money from the Ettelbrick estate. Midwest Service Corp. is the parent company of the Mid-West Truckers Association. Robert Davlin, the mayor's father, was one of the founders of the trucking association. Timothy Davlin was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot on December 14, the day he was due in court to provide a final accounting of the Ettelbrick's estate. It was later learned that more than $340,000 was missing from the estate. In June 2011, McDermott filed claims for that amount against Davlin's estate. According to the claims, Davlin sold Ettelbrick’s house for $46,449 less than it was worth, spent $85,512 on personal expenses and used $203,750 to buy stock in Midwest Service Corp. Davlin's campaign fund was under scrutiny by the federal government at the time he took his life, according to a statement given to investigators by former City Water, Light and Power general manager Todd Renfrow, who told police that the U.S. attorney's office had subpoenaed Davlin's campaign records.
On January 20, 2011, Sgt. Brad Sterling of the Illinois State Police testified during an inquest hearing that Timothy Davlin had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Sangamon County Coroner's office ruled the death as a suicide. Toxicology reports were negative for alcohol or drugs. A bullet was fired from a six-shot revolver and traveled through Davlin's heart and into the seat of a Lincoln Navigator owned by Davlin. Items found in the passenger area of the Navigator included the revolver, a police radio, and a cordless home telephone. It is unknown if a suicide note was found, as Sterling declined to answer questions.
