Lenoir City Council hires Chance Harrison as city attorney after personnel committee recommendation

The Lenoir City Council on March 24 appointed Chance Harrison as city attorney after the council's personnel committee recommended his hire.

The personnel committee told the council it had interviewed two candidates and recommended hiring Chance Harrison with the understanding the council could revisit the appointment between now and August of next year. ‘‘That may come back at some point or another between now and August of next year,’’ a member of the personnel committee said, summarizing the committee's recommendation.

The decision drew a lengthy objection from another councilmember who criticized how the city reached the appointment. ‘‘I am dismayed by the process for selection of the city attorney,’’ the councilmember said. The speaker said there was no public advertisement for the post, that only two applicants were considered, and that one applicant learned of the opening via a councilmember's Facebook post. The speaker added that the city attorney position ‘‘pays over $70,000 a year’’ and argued it merited a broader recruitment.

A second councilmember defended the committee's recommendation and highlighted Harrison's experience. The committee noted Harrison has roughly eight years of legal experience and prior service as a district attorney, which the committee viewed as relevant to the city attorney role.

Following discussion, a motion to hire Chance Harrison was moved and seconded and the council voted to approve the appointment.

The personnel committee's conditional recommendation and the councilmember's objections were recorded during the council discussion; the text of the recommendation and the criticism were taken from the March 24 meeting transcript.

The council did not provide additional public details at the meeting about Harrison's contract terms beyond the committee's remarks about the possibility of revisiting the appointment next year.