MORE CITY APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

Mayor-Elect Dave Kitchell says the full-time employee appointments for his administration have been completed. Yamir Gonzalez-Velez has been appointed city attorney. She is a native of Puerto Rico and holds two master’s degrees from Indiana University and a law degree from Valparaiso University. She is an associate with Robert L. Justice and will be the first woman to serve as lead city attorney.

Kitchell says her first task will be to take on a lawsuit filed against the city in US District Court in South Bend that stems from the cleanup of the former Trelleborg plant on Logansport’s west side.

She will be handling all civil city duties including the Logansport City Council, Logansport Board of Public Works and Safety, Logansport Planning Commission and Logansport Board of Zoning Appeals.”

Jim Brugh, a former city council member, has been appointed as the new Logansport Municipal Utilities attorney. Jim is a Logansport native and has practiced law in Logansport for more than 30 years. As a member of the council, Jim crafted the ordinance that created the USB. He is the husband of Mercedes Brugh, who is the deputy mayor-designate. He has been heavily involved in lawsuits regarding annexation and the power plant.

Kitchell says in the past city attorneys or their law firms have traditionally represented both the city and the utilities. By spreading out the responsibilities Kitchell says they hope to lessen the need to hire special counsel.

Kitchell says he consulted with several local law firms before announcing his choice. Gonzalez-Velez, who is bilingual, will receive some support from Justice, who is a Harvard graduate and a former Cass Circuit Court judge.

Kitchell also announced that the current building commissioner and code enforcement officer will remain in place, as will Deb O’Connor, who is the senior employee in the building commissioner’s office. As part of the transition to a new administration, O’Connor has been promoted to office manager.

Kitchell says attention now will turn to orientation for the new council, the new clerk-treasurer and himself, and to focus on what immediate priorities will be when they take office on January 1.