Where In The World Is The City Attorney?
Some of you may believe I have been too critical of the commissioners and the interim city attorney in the past few issues. I don’t think I have.
When I first heard that Nicoletti was going to take the job in the short term, I believed it was the right choice. It would have been except that he is going to be away for a good part of the time. Is the arrangement where he listens on Zoom while on a cruise fair to the city?
Until the internet, working from somewhere other than an office was unthinkable. For many it may now be doable. But there are still certain functions that require the person’s physical presence. A city attorney needs to meet with staff about projects. Applicants have questions about their submissions. He needs to give his legal opinion and at least initially represent the city in court proceedings. Those things cannot be done if the person is thousands of miles away.
The commission made a mistake. Even though Nicoletti who is on a cruise was participating by Zoom at this meeting, I don’t know how much he was aware of what was going on. He only uttered a sentence or two and that was on the last item. Are the taxpayers getting their money’s worth? This taxpayer doesn’t believe he is.
Going through with this even after learning he would be away for weeks; it appears that the commission is more interested in helping a friend make a buck than safeguarding Stuart. It is wrong and needs to be corrected.
There are two chartered officers that the commission hires. One is the city manager. It looks like Mortell will be a good choice. At some point, they will have to select the next city attorney, the other direct report the commission has. From what I see in the interim selection, I am not so sure they can do it.
The optics of keeping Nicoletti are bad. It is also not in the best interest as the commission are fiduciaries for our tax dollars. Perhaps they like looking at the empty chair on the dais and playing the game ‘Where in The World Is Paul Nicoletti?” The commission owes us more than this arrangement.
