THOMS, Allan

THOMS, Allan. (Dubuque, IA-). MAYOR. Thoms, a graduate of the University of Iowa law school, held the position of vice-president and trust officer of DUBUQUE BANK AND TRUST COMPANY and board member of the DUBUQUE PACKING COMPANY when he served on the Dubuque City Council from 1972 to 1975 and as mayor in 1974. In 1975 he left Dubuque after accepting an appointment as commissioner to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Thoms was the first Dubuque resident to hold a state-level position with the D.O.T. since 1955 when Frank Kerrigan left the Iowa State Highway Commission.

A strong advocate for increased mass transportation, Thoms found his support of 65-foot trucks on Iowa highways to be controversial. On February 20, 1979, he announced his resignation from the commission to accept the presidency of the Rowley Interstate Transportation Company.

In 1986 Thoms was vice chairman of the Iowa's Water, Air and Waste Management Commission and the CLARKE COLLEGE Board of Trustees when it was announced that he would become the director of the Iowa Development Commission. Thoms led reorganization of the Department of Economic Development, and three years later was chosen to become Governor Terry Branstad's chief of staff.

In December 1990, Governor Branstad announced Thoms' appointment to head the Iowa Department of Economic Development. He remained in this position until 1995 when he served on the Iowa Utilities Board as its chairman. From 2001 to 2003, Thoms was the Vice President, Public Policy and External Affairs, for Verizon Communications Inc. He then moved to San Francisco, California as a consultant for Wilk & Associates/LECG as a consultant on regulatory advocacy to state regulatory commissions.