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Politics & Government

Council Begins Search for New City Attorney

Officials form a subcommittee to find a successor for Morgan Foley, who now represents Poway.

Coronado is in the market for a lawyer. 

Attorney Morgan Foley resigned this week after nearly 11 years of advising Coronado officials, because he works for Poway and no longer has time to provide both cities with legal counsel.

His firm, McDougal, Love, Eckis, Boehmer & Foley, is contracted by the city for legal services.

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The City Council decided to use Foley’s departure to reassess its legal representation. “After 10 years now is the appropriate time to look at the market,” City Manager Blair King said.

The council voted unanimously to form a subcommittee with King, Mayor Casey Tanaka and Councilwoman Carrie Downey, a practicing attorney, to direct the process. 

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A request for qualifications will go out this month and the subcommittee expects to present a list of candidates to the council by Dec. 6.

Foley's firm will continue to represent the city in the interim and may be a part of the subcommittee's review. Attorney Johanna Canlas has been filling in for Foley since March.

“I expect the firm will bid with her [Canlas] as lead attorney,” Downey said.

In his letter of resignation, Foley said the decision was made with “a tremendous amount of sadness.” He said that his new post made it “difficult to provide Coronado with the level of professional services to which you have all become accustomed.”

In his resignation letter, Foley recommended the city hire Canlas as his replacement.

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