Palo Alto committee discusses process to replace retiring city attorney, delays firm selection

The Council Appointed Officers Committee of the Palo Alto City Council on an agenda item for the city attorney recruitment reviewed proposals from three executive search firms but did not select one, directing staff to gather references and return with a draft recruitment brochure and firm interviews.

The meeting, led by Chair Stone, focused on replacing City Attorney Molly Stump, who announced she will retire at the end of the calendar year. Sandra Blanch, the city’s human resources director, said the overall recruitment is expected to take “approximately 6 months” and that proposal costs from the three firms range “between $30,000 to $39,000.”

Committee members pressed staff and each other for more detail on how the searches would be tailored to a council-appointed officer, how much involvement the city attorney and other subject-matter experts would have in candidate screening, and how quickly the process could be completed.

“We haven't done one in the legal field” recently, Blanch said, adding that the city has worked with all three firms previously and that one firm, Bob Murray & Associates, was the firm that placed Molly Stump. Vice Mayor…