East Ridge Mayor Brent LambertThe East Ridge City Council expects to offer Hal North its full-time city attorney job tonight, but council members aren’t sure whether he will take it.
North, the city’s interim attorney, said Wednesday he has not decided what he will do if two councilmen vote against his appointment, and everyone involved believes that will happen. North has said in the past that the unanimous support of the council is important.
North’s agreement with East Ridge ends June 30. Should he become the full-time attorney, he said he will do so without a contract. The city can fire him at any point, and he can leave at any point. Either way, he won’t receive a severance package.
Mayor Brent Lambert and Councilman Larry Sewell said earlier this week that they will vote against dropping the “interim” label from North’s title. Both men said that North should have to apply for the full-time job, just like anyone else interested.
The city hired North in December at the suggestion of Councilman Marc Gravitt, who has known North for about 20 years. At the time, Lambert said, he, Sewell and Councilman Denny Manning had never even spoken with North.