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Wilmington council hires outside legal counsel amid allegations against mayor
Summary
Wilmington City Council unanimously approved Resolution 25-25 to hire outside legal counsel after multiple public commenters urged independent review of allegations involving Mayor Patrick Haley and the police department; the resolution was passed as an emergency and council said it will report back at its next meeting in early June.
Wilmington City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to hire outside legal counsel after several public commenters and council members raised concerns about allegations involving Mayor Patrick Haley and the police department.
Resolution 25-25 — "authorizing Wilmington city council to hire additional legal counsel and declaring an emergency" — passed after a motion by Councilman Don Wells and a second by Councilman Osborne. Council recorded a roll-call vote with all members voting yes (Knowles; Nanstedt; Tolliver; Slabaugh; Snarr; Wells; Osborne). Council President said members would be updated at the next meeting in early June.
The vote followed a lengthy public-comment period in which residents urged independent review and greater transparency. Elaine Silverstrom told council, "public trust is something once lost, it's hard to regain," and Jason Stoops said, "I believe those claims warrant further review and possible investigation by a neutral outside agency." Kelsey Swindler asked council to "take these allegations seriously and support further investigation into these claims." Several other residents voiced similar concerns and asked for an independent review or other steps to restore public confidence.
Mayor Patrick Haley responded at length in the meeting, defending his record and offering to provide documentation. "I've never operated that way," he said, adding he ran "simply to serve the community." He said he was willing to bring forward documents and participate in whatever forum council determines, while warning he did not want to violate any confidential processes.
Council framed the resolution as a way to ensure council has independent legal advice while questions about recent actions are addressed. The motion to hire counsel included an emergency clause; council members said they expect updates at the next scheduled council meeting in early June.
The meeting also included public statements from citizens about other community concerns, including housing and addiction services; those comments were part of the record the council said it would consider alongside the newly engaged counsel.
Council did not announce the name of the outside counsel at the meeting. The resolution passed with an explicit emergency declaration; council President said members would receive follow-up information before the next meeting.
