Seat vacated after

Chadwick resigns to

become city attorney



Toledo gained a city attorney, but lost a city council member.

Wes Chadwick resigned from his council position June 24 to take on the role of city attorney, and remaining council members unanimously approved the contract with Newport-based law firm Macpherson, Gintner & Diaz during their July 1 session.

Chadwick, 39, has lived in Toledo for almost nine years. Elected to council in 2006, he advocated for government accountability, economic diversity, and wise allocation of increasingly limited resources. Chadwick said city leaders have a responsibility to the citizens to properly invest “their hard-earned tax dollars” to achieve “the best value” for the community.

The city’s 2009-2010 budget allocated $42,500 for contract attorney services. Mayor Rod Cross, Council President Bob Emmett, and council members Mark Camara, Nancy Lynne, Mary Young, and Monica Lyons are sure it’s a wise investment, and are certain Chadwick’s firm will earn every penny.

At the July 1 session, Cross said the city had a rather hefty backlog of items requiring legal intervention or guidance. “The stack of stuff they have to deal with right out of the gate is a tall order,” he noted.

Long-time city Attorney Jim Ruggeri retired at the end of March, and city officials initiated the process to find a replacement, discussing a timeline during the April 22 work session, determining interview questions at a May 6 executive session, and conducting interviews during a May 13 special executive session.

Doug Holbrook and Ron Seifert of Holbrook & Seifert LLC, and Bill Monahan of Jordan Schrader Ramis PC also applied.

They authorized City Manager Michelle Amberg to follow up with reference checks, and later directed her to begin contract negotiations. The resulting contract with Chadwick’s firm allows the city to change or terminate the contract should problems arise.

Chadwick subsequently resigned from the council, vacating a seat with a term that expires Dec. 31, 2010.



Next steps

During the July 1 council session, Amberg recommended taking time to fill the vacancy, “to allow enough time to receive an adequate number of applicants to interview.” She also suggested the possibility of temporarily appointing a high school or college student as an interim voting council member - a government-in-action internship of sorts - until the position is filled.

While they all agreed that getting youth involved in some aspect of city government, most council members thought the responsibility was too much to ask a high school or college student to assume.

Mary Young referred to the high school site council, which also includes student representatives, and the difficulty - due to lives filled with other activities - of keeping them focused and active on the council. City council actions bring even greater responsibilities and demand a higher level of commitment, she noted, suggesting the various city committees “as an easier way to initially get involved.”

“This is serious stuff,” said Mark Camara. “We’re making serious decisions that affect the city. There’s a lot of figuring out to do, and we need to be an effective council.” Even so, he likes the idea of youth involvement as a way to help them learn and become an integral part of the community’s operations.

Mayor Rod Cross said Toledo has some students who could step into the role, but it “wouldn’t be fair” to them or their parents.

“The sole drawback for me is the liability issue, the legal exposure,” he added. “I don’t see how we could get it to work at this time. We need to work our way up to it.”

Stu Strom, a Port of Toledo commissioner who was in the audience, suggested they ask retirees to either serve as interim council members or to apply for the position outright.

In the end, they decided to announce the position, leaving it “open until filled” with a closing date no later than the end of the year. If they get two applicants, they would announce that, and give others another 30 days to toss their names into the mix. Camara suggested that “if we get one really good one,” they should “move quickly” to interview, again announcing it and allowing 30 days for anyone else to apply.

They unanimously voted to proceed with the process, including placing a letter from the council in with utility bill mailings, specifically asking folks to serve on the council.



Terry Dillman is the assistant editor of the News-Times. Contact him at (541) 265-8571, ext 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.



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