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Selectmen appoint temporary town attorneys, agree to issue RFP after 90-day retainer
Summary
After heated discussion about legal spending and past practice, the Board unanimously appointed Zabel & Schellenberg, PLLC as town attorneys for 90 days beginning Aug. 1, 2026 and directed staff to develop an RFP for legal services; the motion followed debate over transparency and continuity while several litigation matters remain active.
The Board of Selectmen on July 20 and again in the Aug. 3 minutes approved a short-term appointment of Zabel & Schellenberg, PLLC as the Town's attorneys beginning Aug. 1 for a 90-day period, with an RFP process to be developed during that window. First Selectwoman Jennifer A. Mahr explained she reviewed 10 years of legal spending and said continuity was important because the town has multiple pending cases, including seven ongoing tax appeals and labor and FOIA matters; she said reassigning counsel midlitigation would require court permission.
Selectman J. Paul Vance pushed for a public RFP and argued the Board owed taxpayers a transparent search and price comparison; Selectman Brian Shaban supported issuing an RFP. After exchanges—during which Mahr asked why Vance had not requested RFPs under prior administrations and raised concerns about perceived unequal treatment—the Board amended a motion and voted unanimously to appoint Zabel & Schellenberg for 90 days and direct staff to write and issue an RFP. The appointment is temporary; council members said the appointment may be extended pending RFP responses. The Board did not set a specific RFP deadline during the meeting; First Selectwoman Mahr said the CFO's availability was needed to finalize the draft RFP.
The record includes comparisons of outside counsel hourly rates cited by Mahr: examples given in the packet included Carmody Torrance at $350/hr, Cohen & Wolf, P.C. at $450–$475/hr, Halloran Sage at $200/hr, Secor Cassidy and Gerber Ciano at mid-$200/hr ranges. Board members agreed any eventual retainer or contract awarded from the RFP would come back to the Board for approval.
