Wilmington City Council votes to hire outside legal counsel amid leadership dispute

Wilmington — The Wilmington City Council on Thursday approved Resolution 25-25, authorizing the council to hire additional legal counsel and declaring an emergency to expedite the hire.

Council President announced the item and Councilman Don Wells moved the measure; Councilman Osborne seconded the motion. The council suspended the normal rules to consider the measure immediately and passed it by roll call vote.

The measure, captioned “authorizing Wilmington city council to hire additional legal counsel and declaring an emergency,” passed on a unanimous roll call. Members voting yes were Snarr, Wells, Osborne, Knowles, Nanstedt, Toliver, and Slabaugh.

Supporters on council said they wanted a dedicated legal resource available to council given recent public controversy; opponents did not register a recorded vote against the measure during the session. The resolution gives council authorization to retain outside counsel but does not specify a lawyer or firm; procurement and contracting steps were not detailed at the meeting.

Council President said the council will provide updates on the hiring process at a future meeting. The council also noted there will be no regular council meeting during the fifth Thursday this month and expected status updates at the next scheduled meeting in early June.

The item followed a lengthy public comment period in which residents urged either independent review or due process related to allegations involving city leadership. Council’s vote to secure outside counsel comes amid those calls and with public attention focused on how the city will respond.

The passage of Resolution 25-25 imposes no immediate operational change to the mayor’s office; it authorizes council-level legal support.