WDET News
- Detroit City Council Gets Outside Attorney Oversight
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May 20, 2008Metro Desk
The Detroit City Council will approve all legal contracts from today forward.
Earlier this month, Councilwoman Shelia Cockrel called for an amendment to city’s purchasing ordinance so every legal contract would come before council.
Previously, the Mayor could spend up to $25,000 on special counsel in an emergency… without council approval. Kwame Kilpatrick sent back the legislation with a veto. He was overridden to Tuesday’s meeting. The city’s legal department says these new rules will hinder progress in lawsuits against the city. But Cockrel says she doesn’t buy it.
“In my opinion that law department lost any credibility for trying to make a case that it should have independence and autonomy when a whole series of highly talented lawyers systematic and consistently and certainly with knowledge and forethought kept the city council in the dark. I’m an unhappy client. I want additional oversight and monitoring.”
Cockrel’s resolution also bans contracting with attorneys currently involved in a case against the city.