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Sweetwater commission hires outside counsel after former mayor signals pension lawsuit; city attorney recuses
Summary
The Sweetwater City Commission agreed to hire outside counsel after receiving a letter of intent from former Mayor Orlando Lopez about a pension payout; the city attorney recused himself from supervising special counsel and the commission authorized the mayor’s office to coordinate communications with outside counsel.
At its Aug. 4 meeting, the Sweetwater City Commission moved to retain outside counsel after the city received a letter from former Mayor Orlando Lopez signaling his intent to sue over his pension payout. The city attorney said he would recuse himself from supervising special counsel to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and commissioners approved bringing in the law firm Gustesi, Lopez, Mestre & Cobiella to represent the city on the matter. The commission authorized communications about the matter to flow through the mayor’s office while the outside firm is engaged.
The city attorney explained the letter raises a question of legal interpretation of city code language related to pension payouts and said he has not…
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