BLUFF CITY, Tenn. – During a surprise move Monday night, the Bluff City Board of Mayor and Aldermen narrowly fired veteran City Attorney Paul Frye and replaced him with a relative newcomer.
“You’ve seen cronyism at its worst tonight in Bluff City,” said Frye, who has held the position on a part-time basis for 14 years. He has practiced civil law for 25 years and currently works out of his own Piney Flats, Tenn., office.
Based on a recommendation by Alderman Mark Weaver, board members voted 3-2 to end Frye’s contract and hire Bristol, Va., attorney Shawn McDaniel in his place. McDaniel is licensed to practice law in both Virginia and Tennessee, according to a copy of his résumé that Weaver gave board members at Monday’s meeting.
He has never served as a city attorney before.
“I’m perfectly happy to serve and perfectly qualified for the job,” McDaniel said after the meeting, countering claims he did not have the experience needed to be city attorney.
Weaver said he started looking for a new city attorney after several town residents asked if someone would do the job for less than the $30,000 per year Frye charges.
McDaniel agreed to do the job for $25,000 per year, Weaver said, adding the $5,000 difference seemed like it was a big savings for the city’s budget.
But after Frye agreed to match McDaniel’s quoted rate at the meeting, Weaver hinted about his true intentions and said: “It’s time for a change.”
Frye said he was shocked by Weaver’s plans because he has never heard a complaint about his job from a sitting mayor or board member. He said he did not know about the move until he saw a copy of Monday’s meeting agenda, which had the line item “Discussion/Action City Attorney” and was sent out Friday morning.
Alderman Robert Miller also said he did not know about Weaver’s plans until he saw a copy of the agenda. Miller voted against plans to fire Frye along with
Alderman Melvin Carrier.
“Frankly, I think Paul Frye serves the city well,” Miller said as he questioned the motives behind replacing Frye with McDaniel and how the decision was carried out. “We have a motion present to hire an attorney whom no one has spoken with except Mr. Weaver, who has single-handedly negotiated his contract.”
Miller asked the other two board members who voted to replace Frye – Vice Mayor J.C. Gentry and Alderwoman Irene Wells – if they had any contact with McDaniel prior to the meeting. Neither board member answered his questions.
“It surprised me that we’d take action so quickly,” Mayor Todd Malone said after Monday’s meeting. Malone said he, too, did not know the board planned to replace Frye until he saw a copy of the meeting’s agenda.
But Malone said he felt the board had no choice to replace Frye with McDaniel. Before voting to hire McDaniel, the board voted 2-3 against a motion Miller sponsored to keep Frye in place. This move effectively ended his tenure with the city, Malone said.
“We have to have a city attorney,” he said, adding the board’s only option at that point was to either hire McDaniel or vote to reinstate Frye as city attorney.
Before replacing Frye with McDaniel, board members decided to wait to hire an assistant city manager until after they had discussed it during a meeting.
Malone asked the city to hire someone for the job because he could no longer devote the time needed for the job given changes in his work schedule.
But Miller said the board should wait until after it had a chance to discuss what a prospective manager’s duties would be and how much that person should be paid. The board will bring the issue up during a special workshop set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518
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