Decision follows private discussions; ‘heir apparent’ to county attorney
Greene County will add the position of assistant county attorney effective next July 1. The county supervisors made that decision Monday with very little public discussion, although the subject apparently had been discussed at the courthouse previously.
Board chair John Muir said he and county attorney Nic Martino had discussed a need for an assistant about a month ago. “We’ve all had enough discussion we agree there’s a need for the position. I think it’s a service to the citizens of the county. That’s the LEC people, everybody,” Muir said.
He did not specify when or where the other supervisors had discussed the new position.
“Certainly I think this is a good opportunity to look at the next fiscal year and fill the position and have someone get some experience under Nic’s tutelage before they would want to look at stepping into the position of county attorney,” supervisor Guy Richardson said. “They’d obviously have to run for election, but someone with experience would certainly have a better chance of that than someone without.”
The position would not need to be advertised. According to Richardson, due to the confidentiality between the county attorney and an assistant, “there is no requirement for jumping through all the hoops that there are for a lot of positions. It’s essentially an at-will position.” Auditor Jane Heun had already researched the Code of Iowa on the matter. The minutes of the meeting cite Chapter 35C.8 as justification.
The county attorney’s budget for FY18 will include the new position. The supervisors had not discussed a starting salary for an assistant county attorney. In the offices of other elected officials, the deputy is paid 85 percent of the elected official’s salary. If that precedent is followed, the assistant county attorney would start at a salary in excess of $74,375.
The Iowa County Attorneys Association website on Sept. 6 showed two positions publicly posted for assistant county attorneys – a fulltime position in Marshall County as a starting salary of $50-$75,000 depending on qualifications, and a part-time position in Louisa County at a starting salary of $25,000.
