Council directs manager to negotiate with candidate for interim city attorney after executive session; mayor praises acting city attorney

Pursuant to Section 307(B)(1) of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the Lawton City Council convened an executive session to discuss the vacant position of city attorney and then returned to open session with a directive to the city manager.

During open session the council made and approved a motion to direct the city manager to negotiate terms with a candidate identified in the meeting record as “Jerry.” On the recorded roll call following that motion, Williams, Weager, Hampton, Gill and Chapman recorded “yes”; the motion carried.

After the vote the mayor read a statement announcing that an interim city attorney will join the City of Lawton and thanked Acting City Attorney Tim Wilson for his service. The mayor said, “Tim has been a part of our legal team for 25 years and has led the department honorably through this challenging, short‑staffed period.” The mayor added: “He’s a true team player, always focused on what's best for the city and the citizens that we serve.”

The meeting record refers to a candidate by the name “Jerry” in the motion directing negotiation and later includes a reading that names a person differently in a portion of the transcript; the city record provided in the meeting did not resolve that discrepancy and the transcript contains garbled phrases at points. The council did not provide contract terms or a start date for the interim attorney during the open session.

The council also thanked other members of the legal team and characterized the appointment as temporary while the city continues its search for a permanent city attorney.