Asheville, North Carolina City Council Meetings, 12 Mar 2019

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From YouTube: City Council Special Meeting – March 12, 2019

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March 12, 2019
Asheville City Council Special Meeting
Appointment of new City Attorney, Brad Branham

A

You and I'm gonna call this especially called meeting of the City Council to order. The purpose of our meeting today is to hire a new city attorney.

A

First, let me just say thank you to Sabrina, Rockoff and company for standing in as the interim City Attorney Burke slightly longer than expected. So we do greatly appreciate everything you've done and please pass on our thanks also to any of the attorneys in your office that helped out with various items.

B

A

Are sitting there and and our current amenity thanks to the rest of the folks in our City Attorney's Office, who are hanging on while we are staffed down and now we'll, hopefully stuff up, I am going to introduce Brad Branham. Who is here as Asheville's next city attorney? We do. We will need a motion and a vote, but first, let me say just a couple of comments about Brad Brad, most recently hails from the City of Charlotte as an assistant city attorney there in Charlotte he is not a newcomer to Asheville.

A

However, he did attend UNC Asheville, so this is a little bit of a return for him you're, getting like the horrible sideways photograph right now. This is sometimes said.

A

He has a Bachelor of Arts in economics and science and he went to Wake Forest for his law degree and his background in Charlotte is serving as legal counsel in the real estate division and the Charlotte area transit system, otherwise known as Katz, and in that role he provided legal support to facilitate the launch of Charlotte's light rail extension project and and I know through the interview process, he shared with us a lot of the work he's done around public transportation, mixed land-use development, affordable housing and other areas that are really top top of our list here in Asheville, not light rail, please, let's we're not we're not getting like well well, but just in general, citing transit throughout a city.

A

So with that, if someone would please make a motion to hire Brad random I believe the motion is actually to authorize, no choose.

B

A

C

Him as a signature, okay, not to sign the contract, effective, April, 8th, okay,.

A

To a point, mr. Branum has the Asheville City Attorney, beginning April. 8Th, do I have that motion from someone I'm.

B

Happy to make a motion: do I, read this or do I just basically say what you said. You.

A

Can you know if you want to make it official, okay,.

B

Resolution appointing Brad Branham is City Attorney, whereas pursuant to NC general statute, section 160 a dash 173, the city is required to have a city attorney to be its legal adviser and whereas on September 11th 2018 City Council appointed Sabrina rock off with McGuire Woodham Bisset as interim city attorney, to serve as the interim city attorney until a new city attorney is hired.

B

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the city of Asheville that Brad, our Branham is hereby appointed to the position of city attorney for the city of Asheville, effective April, 8 2019, with set appointment to be at the pleasure of the City Council and subject to all applicable law.

A

Okay, we have a motion and a second all, those in favor, please say: aye aye, any opposed all right.

A

And please feel free to say hello step up to one of these too confusing microphones. This is our first ask for you.

C

Everybody speaking I don't need a microphone. I will use them. Let me just say mayor city council. Thank you. It is truly an honor and a humbling experience to receive this appointment. I accept it with pride and excitement. As you said, this is the second time I've started a new life in Nashville. There's a few differences. This time my suit fits a few more grey hairs, but on the lighter side my parents didn't have to drop me off the stop.

A

C

However, the exact same amount of excitement to be a part of a city, a city I, have absolutely loved and admired for so long and and I have spent.

A

The last several.

C

Years in Charlotte a place that I would have only left from one place and that's Asheville, so I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here. There are so many people who love to live where they work, but to work for the place that you live is truly an experience that is rewarding and that's something that I know firsthand. So thank you, I am I, am honored and I will say that I appreciate.

A

C

Support and faith you showed me I'm gonna, do everything I possibly can to live up to that good. Thank you.

C

A

I'm guessing that.

A

Okay and I'll just note that our city manager, Deborah Campbell, has had experience working with Brad. So that's a nice background that already is in place for this hire with anything else. We will adjourn the especially called beanie. We're gonna come right back in here at five o'clock to begin the City Council meeting you.