Scottsdale City Council meeting today to look at firing City Attorney

Edit to update with the results of the meeting, at the end of the post...

From AZCentral.com -

The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss City Attorney Deborah Robberson's employment status.

The council is technically on a two-month summer break, but is scheduled to meet in executive session Tuesday before meeting in public to "discuss, consider and take possible action regarding the employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, salaries, disciplining or resignation of the City Attorney."

Yup, the Scottsdale City Council is taking a break from its break to do something that I predicted would take place in the spring - get rid of the City Attorney.

Hey - at least I had the year right. :))

Robberson was/is viewed as former Mayor Mary Manross' City Attorney and she doesn't fit in with the Lane regime.

Look for the Council, led by Lane, to find a reason to terminate Robberson's employment and to install Tim Lasota (currently Lane's chief of staff and formerly a staffer and protege of County Attorney Andrew Thomas) in the job, at least on an "acting" or "interim" basis.

Much like John Little was installed as the "acting" City Manager after former City Manager Jan Dolan was forced out.

The Council agenda for today's meeting is here.

P.S. - It's *really* nice to be writing about something other than the AZ legislature. :))

Edit on 7/7 to update -

Well, after a 2-hour executive session, the Council came back into the City Hall Kiva and voted 6 - 1 (Ecton voting against) to end Robberson's employment with the City. The public session of the meeting lasted less than 3 minutes.

Robberson's last day is Friday; she'll get all of her contracted severance package.

Robberson was something of a lightning rod for criticism, but while she was fired (she'll be shown as having "retired" from the City, but have no doubt - this was a firing), it was less "for cause" and more "for Mayor Lane to hire someone he wants in the job."

Key evidence in that regard - The City's HR head was in the Kiva; if this was termination for cause, she'd have been in the exec session, making sure that the Mayor and Council crossed their 'Ts' and dotted their 'Is'.

AZCentral.com coverage here.

End edit...