ROGERS -- One person has applied for the city attorney position which remains vacant after Ben Lipscomb resigned in January.
James Clark is the lone candidate for the position which was posted by the city July 16 and remained open for applications until Monday at noon. Clark was the city's deputy city attorney from 1997 to 2003 and again between 2008 to 2014.
Meeting
The Rogers City Council will meet to discuss the city attorney position during its meeting 6:30 p.m., Aug. 25 at City Hall, 301 W. Chestnut St.
Candidates are supposed to go before the City Council during its next meeting August 25.
Clay Kendall, Rogers Internal Affairs Committee member, said the committee will likely meet before the council and discuss how to proceed.
"We will consider this one applicant or decide if there is another approach the committee would like to take," Kendall said. "I feel like the position was well published and posted for a reasonable amount of time."
Thomas Dunlap said the job was posted on the city's website. He said it also was the focus of an article published in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette July 16.
"We were certainly hoping for more applicants but I think we have a very well qualified applicant so it is not a bad situation to be in," Kendall said.
Clark worked as the interim prosecutor for Benton County from April to December last year. He was the deputy prosecutor for Benton and Carroll County from 1990 to 1992. He also has worked in private practice off and on since 1984. He has been retired since December.
"I have had a lot of experience with the city of Rogers," Clark said. "This allows me to keep my hand in city government. I thought I would be a good transition person to serve at least until the election in 2016."
The position is part-time, Clark said. He said this allows him to be a part of the community without investing full-time.
The City Council changed the definition of the city and staff attorney positions in a decision in June.
The duties of the elected city attorney position were limited to attending meetings and offering advice or answering council members' legal questions. The staff attorney position was redefined as being the top legal adviser to all city officials.
The council also reduced the annual salary for the city attorney position from $127,187 to $12,000. The staff attorney salary stayed the same at $87,132.
Tensions between the former city attorney and council built up over several years.
Lipscomb filed a federal complaint saying his rights were violated by the council's decision to give a majority of his duties to a new staff attorney position last year. Three council members signed statements saying Lipscomb recommended the changes. He resigned in January after receiving a $390,000 settlement from the city.
If the city approves someone to fill the city attorney position, they could start Sept. 1.
Justin Eichmann, a private attorney contracted by the city, previously said the city would appoint an attorney to finish Lipscomb's term. After that, the position will be up for re-election in 2016 and again in 2018 when it will become a four-year term.
NW News on 08/14/2015