Saratoga News City Council says hunt for new attorney officially on Mayor Shaw announces plan after closed session 20 firms on solicitation list By Steve Enders It's now official--Saratoga is looking for a new city attorney. Following a closed session discussion before the Jan. 20 city council meeting, Mayor Jim Shaw reported that the city would begin pursuing contract services with another law firm, rather than keeping current city attorney Michael Riback. Shaw's only other comment was to say that the city would move in a speedy manner to get the issue resolved as soon as possible. Later in its regular meeting, the City Council further reviewed a letter from City Manager Larry Perlin to be used in the search for a new attorney. The letter defines the city, describes the position available and asks for a statement of qualifications. It also outlines the city's $150,000 budget for attorney services, which includes $100,000 for general services and $50,000 for litigation. At its last meeting two weeks ago, the council saw the same letter for the first time, and instructed Perlin to obtain a larger list of possible law firms with which the city could contract. At the time, no decision had been made to send the letter soliciting services out to the potential firms. Perlin delivered the revised list of firms, which now contains 20 possible city attorneys from around the Bay Area. The city will directly solicit those firms and will also advertise in a local legal publication that will likely be seen by other potential candidates.Perlin has also given the council a timetable that spells out the process the city will take in hiring the attorney. According to Perlin's report, finalists for the position will be interviewed in about three months. Within about 30 days, the city should begin hearing from interested law firms, Perlin said. The process, Perlin said, will also likely include a selection committee made up of himself, two city council members and a member of the city's planning commission, who will each have a hand in screening the potential attorneys. Perlin said that after screening semifinalists for the job, it becomes more difficult to determine a timetable because of background checks and contract negotiations. The only debate at Wednesday's meeting on the subject came over how to advertise the position to a wider variety of candidates than those who are on Perlin's list. Councilmember John Mehaffey said he would like the city to advertise in a publication that publishes often, such as a daily newspaper or a frequently published magazine. Perlin responded, saying that most who would likely respond are already on the list, but acknowledged that others might want a chance at the job as well. The council finally decided to advertise in a daily legal journal that is read by most city attorneys in the area. Riback had informed Perlin of the publication during the discussion over his successor. Vice Mayor Stan Bogosian, who initiated the idea for a new attorney, said that to save time and get the process going he'd rather not seek out advertising methods. He argued that to advertise to more firms will further lengthen the already lengthy process. Bogosian has contended that the time is right to seek out cheaper services. Riback's firm has represented the city for eight years, and said he has been successful in nearly 18 cases that have come before the city during his tenure. Riback was not available for comment at press time. In previous interviews, Riback has said he doesn't think the council is disappointed in his firm's performance. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 27, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.