North Adams Committee Tweaking Solicitor Ordinance

The North Adams General Government Committee is considering side-stepping a thorny problem about access to the city solicitor by rewriting an ordinance to more clearly spell out lines of communication.

Chairwoman Lisa Blackmer said the wording in the ordinance had raised questions as to whether any single councilor has "unfettered access to the city solicitor."

 The council had objected back in 2018 when the city switched over to KP Law as city solicitor, limiting council members' access to the Boston law firm. The council members had been used to contacting former City Solicitor John B. DeRosa,

The administration had argued that it was in part a matter of funding — since KP billed more directly than did the former solicitor — and that much of the information the council needed could be provided in house. Councilors, however, were not sanguine with leaving the administration in control of what access was appropriate.

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