The Jamestown City Council accepted the resignation of city attorney Marilyn Fiore-Lehman during its March 2019 voting session.
JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council last night approved the resignation of longtime city attorney Marilyn Fiore-Lehman and accepted the appointment of attorney Peter Larson as corporation counsel, effective April 11.
The move comes as Fiore-Lehman informed city officials she has accepted a position as an Assistant District Attorney with the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s office.
Fiore-Lehman has served as the city’s top attorney for 19 years and Mayor Sam Teresi noted that she will be difficult to replace.
“She’s done a terrific job for us through some very difficult and trying challenges. These are definitely going to be big shoes to fill and her presence is going to be missed dearly,” Teresi said. “On the other hand, she’s going to be here for the next two-plus weeks. Peter will be in later this week and he’s be working on a three-quarters time basis.”
Teresi said that the three-quarters basis for Larson is due primarily to the term of corporation counsel ending this coming December when the mayoral term also ends. Because it is not known who the next mayor will be and Teresi has announced he will not be seeking reelection, Teresi acknowledges it wouldn’t be fair to expect any new corporation counsel to sign on for a full-time basis given the uncertainty of what may come after this year.
Meanwhile, Teresi said that like Fiore-Lehman, Larson will be busy with the day-to-day tasks that come with serving as corporation counsel.
“Corporation Counsel’s position is not only the lawyer for the city, but also represents the city in court – housing court, traffic court – and is also, with restructurings that we’ve done in the past, is they city’s human resource director. She’s been the chief contract negotiator, handling grievances, handling employee disputes, litigation against the city, so it is an all-encompassing position. Full time and then some,” the mayor said.
Fiore-Lehman’s announced departure is the second such resignation by a city officer in as many months. Last month the council accepted former City Clerk Todd Thomas’s resignation as he left city government to also take a job with the the county in the County Attorney’s office.
Larson, meanwhile, comes from the local law office of Bly, Sheffield, Bargar and Pillitieri. He is a Jamestown native with a law degree from Case Western University and was was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2015.
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