2/29/08 - County to study attorney’s office

(As published by Cortland Standard, Evan Geibel reporting)

Cortland County will look into the possibility of revising the current county attorney system in order to remove politics from the appointment of the county attorney.

The Legislature decided Thursday night to hire local attorney and Cortlandville Town Justice Fran Casullo to conduct a needs assessment of the county’s use of attorneys, to recommend any possible revisions and research any possible legal barriers to an overhaul.

Casullo would be paid $90 an hour, not to exceed $5,000.

Legislator Tom Williams (R-Homer), who contacted Casullo about the project, said Casullo would not be interested in the position once it was created.

County Attorney Mark Suben told the Legislature that a lawyer should conduct the investigation because he would be interviewing other attorneys, and it takes a lawyer to understand certain legal nuances.

Legislators have said that they want to de-politicize the office, in which appointments at the beginning of each new term of the Legislature and has been used as a political tool.

Casullo will not be examining the offices of the district attorney office of the district attorney or public defender.

County Administrator Scott Schrader said the county regularly hires two law firms to handle personnel matters, a third law firm to handle workers’ compensation claims, and three full-time attorneys who work in the Department of Social Services. That department also has two paralegals.

The county attorney’s office consists of the county attorney and two assistants, and also employs a paralegal.

Also, Thursday night’s meeting, legislator Tom Williams pulled from consideration a resolution he had proposed that would have asked the state Legislature to enact legislation allowing counties to create the position of conflict attorney.