Former Director of Safety and Code Enforcement David Cowan has been appointed to serve as assistant city manager for the city of Independence.

City Manager Kelly Passauer announced the appointment during a special meeting on Wednesday. Cowan is in his 34th year of service with the city. As part of his new position, he will oversee the operations of several departments, including Fire/EMS, Park & Zoo, Public Works, Utilities, the Building Department, Code Enforcement and Memorial Hall. Some of these departments were already overseen by Cowan in his previous role.

Cowan's appointment was described by Passauer as the first step in a "broader reorganization plan" requested by city commissioners. The goal is to mirror the structure of many corporate entities, with one manager dealing with external entities and executive level planning while the other manager deals with daily operational duties.