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Commission authorizes separate outside counsel for commissioner in related lawsuit; abstention recorded
Summary
The commission voted to engage outside counsel (Kathleen Howard) to represent Commissioner Stevens in a lawsuit; county attorneys Brent Granger and another county attorney will represent the county and the commission recorded an abstention during the vote.
Jefferson County commissioners voted to engage outside counsel to represent one commissioner in a pending lawsuit and recorded an abstention.
When the commission pulled item 17 for separate consideration, staff and the county attorney explained the item involved engaging Kathleen Howard to represent Commissioner Stevens while county attorneys would represent the county. The county attorney said the county’s counsel team — including Brent Granger and himself — would represent the county and noted separate defenses required separate representation for the commissioner.
A motion to approve the engagement was moved and seconded. The chair called the vote, the motion carried, and the chair recorded an abstention: “All in first, say aye. Aye. I abstain,” the chair said in the meeting record.
The discussion on the record focused on the need for separate representation because the commissioner’s legal position was distinct from the county’s defense; no transcript evidence shows further public comment on the matter during the meeting.
