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Friday, April 07, 2006
Ind. Gov't. - More on attorney for Lake Station city clerk
On March 5 the ILB quoted from a Munster (NW Indiana) Times story headlined "Is attorney waste of taxpayer dollars?" The story began:
The Lake Station City Council put a request to provide a lawyer for the clerk-treasurer on hold recently.Today the Gary Post-Tribune reports, via a story by Karen Snelling, that:
Newly appointed City Clerk-Treasurer Martha Kroledge is threatening to sue the Lake Station City Council for violating her right to have a lawyer.Kroledge asked the council for a $12,000 appropriation to retain Highland Attorney Anthony DeBonis.
DeBonis, who served as the council’s attorney between 2002 and 2004, would be paid $175 a hour under Kroledge’s proposed appropriation ordinance.
But the ordinance was removed from the council’s agenda without any discussion Thursday night.
Councilman Keith Soderquist asked that the measure be taken off the agenda.
Soderquist said later that the city has a ordinance to restrict attorney fees to $100 an hour.
Kroledge paid DeBonis herself so he would attend the meeting and answer any questions posed by the council.
But no questions were asked.
After the meeting, DeBonis said under state law, the clerk-treasurer has the right to the attorney she chooses on terms, including hourly pay, that she consider appropriate. * * *
Kroledge said she wants the same amount of money the council is paying its attorney.
The council has $12,000 budgeted this year to pay Michael Deppe $100 a hour.
“All I’m asking is exactly what the council pays so I can have an attorney at least as good as Deppe,” Kroledge said.
She had directed DeBonis to pursue whatever legal action is necessary to make the council appropriate the funds she requested.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 7, 2006 07:26 AM
Posted to Indiana Government