Durango City Council is planning to meet and interview candidates to replace Tony Maestes as interim city attorney between his planned Jan. 9 resignation and the hiring of a new permanent city attorney.
The discussion followed an executive session on Tuesday that resulted in City Council accepting Maestes’ resignation, contingent on the city finding a new city attorney by Jan. 9 or no later than Jan. 18.
City Manager José Madrigal said a good time to interview candidates (of which there are about five) is during the Jan. 3 City Council meeting, six days ahead of Maestes’ planned resignation, which drew support from councilors. Councilor Olivier Bosmans was not in attendance.
Whether the interim city attorney interviews will be held in public or behind closed doors in an executive session remains to be seen. Madrigal and Maestes are researching whether a public or private setting is the better approach to the interviews. Councilor Melissa Youssef and Mayor Barbara Noseworthy said they are comfortable with either option based on what is most appropriate.
Madrigal said the agenda for Jan. 3 is light with just a consent agenda and one public hearing scheduled so far and so it makes for an ideal evening to hold the interviews in which candidates would come in, provide an overview of their experience, talk about their pay rates and follow up with a questions and answers session.
Maestes said he contacted the Colorado Municipal League, a resource and advocate for local governments across the state, to gather ideas about how the city should conduct the interviews. He suggested the city provide candidates with a draft contract or have them propose their own so the city can get a feel for the sort of rates the candidates are looking for.
He said most of the candidates, both individuals and law firms, have “significant law experience,” which is a good sign for the city because it’s dealing with a search for a permanent city attorney – a hire not expected until spring – in addition to trying to hire an interim city attorney to replace Maestes.
Councilor Kim Baxter said it would be informative to know if candidates have actually been in a similar position as the city is now – with a need for a permanent attorney to fill the role of a long-acting attorney who has left the scene.
Noseworthy said she’s also interested in communicating with BakerTilly – the firm assisting the city in its search for a permanent city attorney – to make sure it understands the upcoming candidate interviews discussed Tuesday are for finding a new interim attorney. Madrigal said he already contacted the firm.
Youssef added City Council wants to know candidates’ availability regarding meeting attendance.
Councilor Jessika Buell and her colleagues supported the Jan. 3 date.
After emerging from executive session on Tuesday, before discussing candidate issues, councilors expressed their support for Maestes and thanked him for his service to the city under stressful circumstances.
Maestes previously said in a resignation announcement released on Dec. 19 that his instant promotion to city attorney after the resignation of longtime city attorney Dirk Nelson, as well as extra day-to-day duties, gave Maestes the realization that municipal law isn’t what he wants to practice.
After another executive session at a Dec. 12 City Council meeting, he also noted that the city needs legal help right away.
cburney@durangoherald.com
