SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Spokane Mayor David Condon has fired City Attorney Howard Delaney in the wake of intense criticism over the handling of some high-profile cases.
Condon announced that Nancy Isserlis will be the new city attorney.
The move comes three days after an angry Spokane City Council unanimously rejected a proposed settlement for fired Spokane Police Sgt. Brad Thoma, who was fired in 2009 after an off-duty drunken driving and hit-and-run incident. A settlement negotiated by Delaney’s staff proposed the city rehire Thoma and give him $275,000 in back pay.
The legal department also came under intense scrutiny over its handling of the case involving Otto Zehm, a 36-year-old mentally ill janitor who died two days after a 2006 confrontation with police.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com