Although the mayor's office is officially non-partisan, the Illinois capital has a strong tradition of partisanship, including municipal races.

[citation needed] Davlin started in the financial and insurance business in 1981 when he became a Registered Representative with AXA Advisor, LLC.

[3] 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.

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.

The investigation of his death was turned over to the Illinois State Police, the only law enforcement agency in the area with which Davlin had no immediate connection.

An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday, December 15, 2010, to verify the cause of death, according to the State Police and the Sangamon County coroner's office.

Senator and Majority Whip Dick Durbin, U.S. Representative Aaron Schock, Illinois State Senator Larry Bomke, and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois all released statements of condolence upon hearing of Mayor Davlin's death.

Brad Sterling of the Illinois State Police testified during an inquest hearing that Timothy Davlin had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Items found in the passenger area of the Navigator included the revolver, a police radio, and a cordless home telephone.