Interviews begin for new Jackson City Attorney. What councilmembers said about resignation

After the resignation of Jackson's City Attorney Catoria Martin last week, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has begun conducting interviews for the position and is expected to make an announcement "in the coming weeks," according to City Spokesperson Melissa Payne.

Martin submitted her resignation on Jan. 4 after over two years as the city attorney.

She has been appointed to a position as a Chapter 13 Standing Bankruptcy Trustee and starts in that new position on Jan. 16. Her last day working for the city is Jan. 12.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am honored to accept it," Martin said.

With ongoing battles between Martin and members of the Jackson City Council — some have said they don't feel adequately represented by the city attorney and speculated that Martin could be resigning due to the conflict.

"Neither the city council nor the administration played a role in my decision to resign," Martin said. "However, the mayor was listed and contacted as a reference throughout the process."

One of the more notorious conflicts between the council and Martin was last April's trash debacle where the council ended up suing the mayor after rejecting his choice of Richard's Disposal Inc. for trash pick-up. The mayor refused to accept the rejection, leading to the council filing a lawsuit to see if they could award a contract independent of the mayor. A compromise was made and Richard's was awarded a 1-year emergency contract that is set to expire in April of this year.

As city attorney, Martin represented the mayor in the lawsuit, and the council hired an outside attorney. Typically, the city attorney represents both the city and the council on matters.

Though a compromise was reached, the trash episode was a continued source of contention between Martin and some council members. In November, the council requested the city attorney to seek a dismissal in the city's on-going lawsuit with Richard's Disposal, who ended up suing the city after being denied a long-term contract. And in the council's most recent meeting, as well as in previous ones before that, the council has gone into closed session to discuss if they have the ability to hire their own attorney.

When asked if the mayor had any comments on the council inquiring about hiring their own legal representation, Payne reiterated that the mayor is the only one with the power to enter into contracts.

"Therefore, the council does not have the authority to hire an attorney. That’s all there is to say about that," Payne said in an email Monday.

For Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote and Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, the relationship between the council and the city attorney was contentious from the start, with Foote admitting a lot of the disputes were about the city's garbage crisis. Both councilmen voted against the mayor's choice of Richard's Disposal during the trash crisis and have been highly critical of Martin's handling of it.

"I wish her the best of luck going forward with her legal career, but I think it's a good opportunity for the city to turn a page and move forward and have a more professional relationship where we're (the council) the client and the city attorney's office is our legal advisor," Foote said.

Hartley added that he hopes the mayor's new appointment will be somebody who could get along better with both the administration and the council.

"When you have constant fights, that doesn't help the people of Jackson," Hartley said. "Moving forward, hopefully we can get someone with the amount of municipal, legal experience and know how to avoid lengthy situations and can work with a balance between a mayor and a city council."

While Foote and Hartley had choice words for Martin, Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell had a more positive stance on the city attorney. Grizzell was one of three council members who sided with the mayor during the trash crisis.

"I deeply respect City Attorney Catoria Martin, acknowledging her as a dedicated and esteemed member of the bar," Grizzell said. "Her tireless efforts to safeguard the city and its assets, coupled with her recent federal lifetime appointment, reflect her unwavering professionalism, commitment to the practice of law and exemplary character. She is a true public servant. I have always had full confidence in her leadership and law practice, and she will be sincerely missed."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS councilmembers react to attorney's resignation