Morrisville ends legal agreement with new firm, two weeks after hiring. What happened

Two weeks after a divided Morrisville council voted to replace its longtime special counsel, the board reversed itself, cutting ties with the newly appointed law firm.

The council cast a unanimous 7-0 vote on Jan. 16 to terminate any agreement between David Truelove and Hill-Wallack LLP, who were hired earlier this month to replace attorney Christopher Gerber and his law firm Siani Law.

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Council members did not offer a reason for ending the agreement, or if the Gerber and Siani Law would continue as its special counsel. He remains labor counsel for the borough, according to Manager Judith Danko.

Gerber represents the borough in an ongoing appeal hearing requested by former Police Chief George McClay before the borough’s Civil Service Commission.

McClay is fighting his November termination after serving as chief since 2014.

The second in what is anticipated to be a series of hearings before the panel was scheduled for Jan. 17, but then canceled.

The decision at the Jan. 2 reorganization meeting to replace Gerber with Truelove drew heavy criticism from half of the eight member council, who claimed they were being asked to vote for something before they could review it.

Council members also called it irresponsible for the council to consider changing attorneys in the midst of the McClay appeal, and argued it would end up costing taxpayers more money to bring a new attorney up to speed on the case.

Council Chairwoman Kathryn Price Engelhard did not respond to an email sent Wednesday.

Councilman Scott Robinson, who voted against hiring Truelove,  reiterated on Tuesday that he felt Price Engelhard mishandled the vote to change counsel.

“Effectively what this stunt – I’m going to call it a stunt because you know that is what it was – this council marginalized every single resident in the Second Ward,” Robinson said.  “That wasn’t nice.”

Price Engelhard offered an apology, adding that she did not mean to exclude residents.

“That is not what it was meant to be,” she said.

“What was it meant to be?” Robinson replied.

“It was meant for a change and I thought that you guys had the information. I truly did,” she added. “I really sincerely apologize for that vote.”

Price Engelhard also said the  Hill Wallack LLP proposal was shared with Borough Manager Judith Danko.

Danko said she never opened it, despite receiving it five days before the meeting.

“I had no idea it was there,” Danko said.

In other business, the council unanimously accepted the resignation of Robert Perry, one of the new council members sworn into office on Jan. 2.

Price Engelhard did not provide a reason for Perry’s resignation, which took effect on Jan. 9, a week after he took office.  The council anticipates appointing a replacement to serve the rest of Perry’s four-year term of office at  a special meeting set for Jan. 24.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Morrisville council reverses special counsel hiring decision