The Jackson City Council is considering eliminating the City Attorney’s Office because they don’t believe they’re getting fair representation.The council met behind closed doors but didn’t take a vote on it.City Attorney Catoria Martin is at the center of the discussion. Council members believe she doesn’t understand her unique role in city government. The City Attorney’s Office is supposed to provide legal advice to both the council and the mayor’s office. Council President Aaron Banks said he doesn’t believe Martin has been willing to play fair with the council.”We have had more of a steering, or more of pressuring, or more of heckling, more of disrespect, more of chiding people,” Banks said. “More of arguing, going toe-to-toe with the elected officials, and that is just not acceptable. We need to look at a feasible way to move forward.””It is untrue. I’ve provided sound, well-researched legal advice consistently, but I cannot change the law,” Martin said.Banks said the council is considering all options, including eliminating the City Attorney’s Office and hiring a private law firm to provide legal counsel.Martin said in a statement that the council doesn’t have the authority to eliminate the City Attorney’s Office. She said the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office has had several opinions that have told the council “it is not within their authority.”Banks later said that the discussions during Tuesday’s meeting were based on what he called Martin’s “heckling and confronting” of Ted Henifin, the third party administrator over the city’s water and sewer systems, which Banks said was “unbecoming” of a city attorney.”Especially when the city attorney has not used that same energy to argue for the citizens who have damaged houses and unbearable living conditions due to flash flooding,” Banks said in a statement. “In addition, the many citizens that have suffered significant damages and financial loss due to potholes.”
The Jackson City Council is considering eliminating the City Attorney’s Office because they don’t believe they’re getting fair representation.
The council met behind closed doors but didn’t take a vote on it.
City Attorney Catoria Martin is at the center of the discussion. Council members believe she doesn’t understand her unique role in city government. The City Attorney’s Office is supposed to provide legal advice to both the council and the mayor’s office. Council President Aaron Banks said he doesn’t believe Martin has been willing to play fair with the council.
“We have had more of a steering, or more of pressuring, or more of heckling, more of disrespect, more of chiding people,” Banks said. “More of arguing, going toe-to-toe with the elected officials, and that is just not acceptable. We need to look at a feasible way to move forward.”
“It is untrue. I’ve provided sound, well-researched legal advice consistently, but I cannot change the law,” Martin said.
Banks said the council is considering all options, including eliminating the City Attorney’s Office and hiring a private law firm to provide legal counsel.
Martin said in a statement that the council doesn’t have the authority to eliminate the City Attorney’s Office. She said the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office has had several opinions that have told the council “it is not within their authority.”
Banks later said that the discussions during Tuesday’s meeting were based on what he called Martin’s “heckling and confronting” of Ted Henifin, the third party administrator over the city’s water and sewer systems, which Banks said was “unbecoming” of a city attorney.
“Especially when the city attorney has not used that same energy to argue for the citizens who have damaged houses and unbearable living conditions due to flash flooding,” Banks said in a statement. “In addition, the many citizens that have suffered significant damages and financial loss due to potholes.”
