City council will select candidates for interviews
Morgan Hill – City council members will narrow the field of city attorney candidates Wednesday night and may have new counsel in place in a few months.
City Manager Ed Tewes said Monday that he expects council members to select about a half-dozen candidates for interviews “depending upon the quality of the field.”
The search for a new city attorney began in July, following the resignation of Helene Leichter.
Leichter was involved in an embarrassing scandal in July of 2004 when she was accused of having an affair with Tewes. Both have continually denied the allegation and no evidence of an affair has ever surfaced.
She resigned April 20 in exchange for a promise not to sue the city. The council agreed to pay Leichter $233,055.80, including salary and benefits to July 1, $161,250 of which compensates for “alleged physical injury or sickness.”
In an earlier separation agreement made in September 2004, the city paid Leichter $25,000 and her attorney $15,000, plus seven weeks of additional vacation, in part to compensate for her distress over the publicity.
Also Wednesday, the council will decide whether to shift unused redevelopment agency funds to cover an expected $400,000 budget overrun for the new library.
Several councilmen have expressed an interest in doing so, but they may choose to cut some aspects of the project to meet the $17 million budget.
