A council subcommittee reported a recommendation on Monday that Paul O'Neil be appointed city solicitor after a recruitment process; the full council agreed the packet accompanying an appointment should include resumes and supporting materials before finalizing action.

The committee chair told the council the review process produced only a small number of qualified applicants and that two candidates declined to proceed to in-person interviews. The committee recommended O'Neil. Councilors asked for additional documentation consistent with an ordinance the council previously adopted that lists supporting materials to accompany appointments.

Acting City Solicitor (present at the meeting) described an ordinance the council is considering to clarify the law department’s role. “The document actually doesn’t really... change the current structure. I think it just clarifies both what’s in the Charter currently, and also what is in the law department statute as it exists,” the acting solicitor said, noting that the draft would formally centralize the solicitor’s office under the council while acknowledging statutory exceptions where other offices may hire outside counsel.

Council debate
Several councilors said they wanted a fuller packet before acting on an appointment; one councilor referenced the council’s own ordinance that requires supplemental documentation for appointments and asked that those materials be provided in advance of a scheduled special meeting. Other councilors raised the cost the district has paid in outside legal bills, and the acting solicitor and mayor discussed potential efficiencies if some school legal work were handled by the city solicitor’s office, while acknowledging the school committee retains statutory authority to retain outside counsel in many cases.

The council voted to table an ordinance (TR 25-8) intended to clarify the solicitor’s purpose and authority so members could review legal detail and gather the requested appointment materials. The committee’s recommendation to appoint Paul O’Neil was reported to the body and will be on the agenda with supporting documents at the next posted meeting.

Why it matters
The solicitor’s office represents the municipality in legal matters that affect council operations, contracts, employment and claims. Councilors framed the issue as both a governance clarity question — defining the solicitor’s relationship to the council and to other municipal offices — and a fiscal one, because outside legal spending by the school department rose in recent years.

What’s next
The committee’s recommendation will be accompanied by the requested resumes and supporting documents for the council’s next meeting. The ordinance clarifying solicitor duties was tabled; councilors asked for additional legal review and for members to receive appointment materials in advance.