Williamson Gives Last Budget Presentation

Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson escorts Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig's bride, Huiling Liu, at the September 2009 wedding in City Hall.

Budget deliberations on the Corporation Counsel's office Tuesday took a personal turn when Councilwoman Annie McWilliams said to Dan Williamson, "I hear we are losing you."

Williamson has been corporation counsel throughout the six-year tenure of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and has served in several other administrations. As of July 1, he will begin a new chapter of public service as the executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority.

Williamson said it was "with mixed emotions" that he is leaving City Hall for the controversial authority that provides solid waste and sewer services to Plainfield's 16,000 households.

"Some people feel I need to see a doctor," he quipped, saying he was going out of the frying pan into the fire.

City Hall itself has been riven with strife that now has the mayor suing the City Council. Plainfield's special charter calls for the corporation counsel to represent both the governing body and the administration, but both sides lawyered up separately to deal with an investigation into use of city funds for a 2010 "Town Meeting" broadcast on radio station WBLS. The governing body issued a reprimand to the mayor, who is up for re-election next year, and in turn she is suing to have her name cleared.

Meanwhile, the governing body recently called for dissolution of the PMUA.

Williamson said Tuesday he feels he can bring a "fresh look" and a "new direction" to the authority and told the council dissolution should only be the default if he is not able to improve the PMUA.

McWilliams said Williamson's departure marks "the appropriate time to explore what the corporation counsel's office should look like." She said she wants funds set aside for the council during the transition and wants to "look at the current structure and see whether it works."

Williamson said the charter calls for his office to represent both the council and administration, but said in the past the council had put money in its own budget for legal representation. McWilliams suggested having a part-time counsel, which Councilman Cory Storch called "an excellent suggestion." He said when the mayor and council agree, the charter-mandated system is fine.

The discussion moved on to current staffing in the office, which includes a secretary, two part-time in-house attorneys and several outside special attorneys who deal with labor issues, redevelopment, bond issues and more. Williamson explained several nuances such as legal representation for police and fire personnel, but then Council President asked whether a request for qualifications had yet been issued for professionals to study the PMUA's possible dissolution. Williamson said no RFQ had been issued, but the matter would be discussed in a cabinet meeting and in executive session.

Mapp bristled, asking, "Are you saying the council's will is being ignored?

"We don't want to have a discussion about an RFQ in executive session," Mapp said.

After saying he had asked twice without response, Mapp said, "The council has been ignored."

Williamson said he would have an answer the next day, but Mapp said, "You should recuse yourself from anything having to do with the PMUA."

Williamson said he agreed..

His departure will leave about 18 months left in his term, which is concurrent with the mayor's. If the mayor names a successor who is then confirmed by the council, that individual would serve until Dec. 31, 2013. If the mayor names someone directly to an acting term, it cannot exceed 90 days.

--Bernice