Ark Valley News - Bel Aire hires first full-time attorney

Bel Aire hires first full-time attorney
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: May 18, 2017

The Bel Aire City Council on May 16 hired its first ever full-time city attorney, Jacqueline Kelly, with a 3-2 vote.

Former part-time city attorney Alison McKenney Brown stepped down earlier this year to take the city attorney position in Englewood, Colo. City Manager Ty Lasher said she was not easy to replace.

"Alison was part time and we contracted with her on a per-hour basis," said Lasher. "We allocated a certain amount of money every year to cover her contract. She had 30 years of experience. We looked at potential full- and part-time replacements but we didn't have anybody who was qualified to the point she was to work part-time. We had a number of candidates who were willing to work full-time; and since they didn't have the same level of experience (Alison) did, we were able to stay within the same budget."

Lasher said that because of Brown's familiarity with the city and the type of work she was performing for it, Bel Aire was able to get by with her as its part-time attorney. As the city continues to grow, the position becomes more involved.

"The reason Alison could work 20 hours is because she knew all the statutes and she'd seen it all before," said Lasher. "We knew a new person was going to have to spend a lot of time doing research. The other thing we ran into here is we own Sunflower Commerce Park and Central Park; most cities aren't developers and those are issues Alison always had to work on — covenants, sales contracts and that kind of stuff. Then you still have the day-to-day things the city is still involved in. Because of that level of involvement, we needed someone full-time."

Although the city confirmed its new attorney, the decision was not unanimous. Two candidates received final interviews for the job, and the two council members who voted against Kelly's confirmation made it clear that they thought the other candidate was a better fit. Both also stated that they would still support and work alongside Kelly in the best interest of the city.

"There was one other candidate who had some experience in the type of law that we need," said council member Diane Wynn. "I didn't feel like we had a good job description for what I wanted as an attorney. I don't want a best friend. I don't want somebody who dresses the best. I want somebody who's a bulldog."