A partial settlement has been reached between members of the Indianapolis City-County Council and their President, Stephen Clay.
Several members of the Council filed suit against Clay over his firings of the Council Clerk and attorney.
They say Clay did not have the legal authority to dismiss NaTrina DeBow, nor could he have fired attorney Fred Biesecker unless there was someone there to immediately take his place.
Clay’s attorney, Linda Pence, had argued that not only did Clay have the authority to make those decisions, but the Court should have avoided intervening in Council affairs.
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Under the settlement, the Office of Corporation Counsel, which operates under Mayor Joe Hogsett, has agreed to appoint an attorney to act as parliamentarian for Monday night’s meeting, which allows it to go forward. The Court did not rule on the firings.
The Council is expected to remove Clay from his position on Monday night. Clay was elected with the help of Republicans after defeating incumbent Maggie Lewis.
You can hear Clay and his attorney, as well Karen Horseman who represented the Council in the Leon-Tailored audio above.
The controversy is not over however. A proposal to remove Clay as President was taken off Monday’s agenda and instead replaced by one that would refer the matter to the ethics committee, chaired by Republican Mike McQuillan.
