City Attorney Interviews - Continued

The third candidate for the City Attorney position was Holly Blumenthal. She came before the Commissioners the evening of August 2. Ms. Blumenthal told the Commissioners that she finished law school at the University of Florida in 2005 and began practice in 2006. She has worked in former City Attorney David Coffey`s firm, and has served as the Cedar Key City Attorney since Mr. Coffey resigned earlier this year.

The Commissioners asked about her expertise on water quality issues and her plans to become Board Certified in areas of specialization. She said that for the past three years she has done most of the City`s work with Mr. Coffey reviewing her writings. Several questions came from the audience, with focus on how a continuing position in Mr. Coffey`s law firm would be a potential problem. Specifically, Ms. Blumenthal was asked what she would do if a developer represented by Mr. Coffey were to come to Cedar Key with a project. She itemized the various aspects of the problem, and gave answers accordingly.

As during earlier interviews, the Commissioners asked what her lowest bid for providing legal service would be. She said that she would charge the City $4000 per month and the CRA $500 per month. The Commissioners agreed to put selection of a City Attorney on the agenda for the August 18 meeting.