News-Record.com

UPDATE: Matheny called from the other end of his flight with this clarification: He thinks the motion may not be necessary because the issue is going to resolve itself. He said that if Mitchell Johnson moves quickly enough on finding Miles' replacement, there won't be any need for her services. He still believes the city needs someone new in that position.

Yesterday, I explained here about a plan Councilman Zack Matheny had for Tuesday night's council meeting: He was going to ask the board to block the return of retired City Attorney Linda Miles.

About an hour ago, Matheny called (from an airplane that was about to take off) to say he had changed his mind. That motion was no longer necessary, Matheny said, because City Manager Mitchell Johnson was going to move quicker than expected to find Miles' replacement.

Meanwhile, I've talked to four other council members - Sandra Anderson Groat, Mary Rakestraw, Trudy Wade and Mike Barber - who say they support Matheny's original plan to block Miles' return.

So an idea that had five votes now has four. Strange ... it's usually not the person who came up with the motion who causes that motion to fail!

We'll have a detailed story in the paper tomorrow. You'll find a link to Miles' contract in my original post (linked above).