Staff attorney survives 3-2 vote

Allowing the Oconee County administrator to be the one who hires an in-house attorney survived a second vote during last night’s County Council meeting.  The council second reading approval passed 3 to 2, with McCall, Cain and Cammick in the affirmative and Dexter and Thrift in the minority.  District Five’s Reg Dexter raised concern that it would be the administrator who would hire and fire an in-house attorney, without any say by the five elected council members.  The county’s current outside attorney, Tom Martin of the McNair law firm, occupies a position which is voted on each year by the council.