Richard Morrisroe

The salary for city attorney Richard Morrisroe has been knocked back to $45,000, according to the edited budget by the Dunkirk Common Council.

“We’re taking Richard back to $45,000 and we’re going to put the $25,000 back in contingency,” Councilman-at-large Paul VanDenVouver stated at the final budget review meeting.

Mayor Wilfred Rosas said that the move was “careless” on the council’s part and cited that the line for the law department head has been $70,000 for over a decade. “If you do that you’re forcing me to not agree to it; what it does is it protects the taxpayers,” Rosas said. “If our city attorney finds that $45,000 isn’t enough for him and he moves on then you will have $45,000 to go find another city attorney that is very careless of us to do that.”

First Ward Councilman Don Williams countered the money would still be in contingency should the city need more to hire an attorney if that was necessary. Rosas didn’t see the point of moving the money then if that was the case.

“What you’re trying to do is you’re admitting you’re trying to get rid of the current city attorney,” Rosas said. “We budget $70,000, we don’t pay $70,000, but we budget it in case we need it.”

VanDenVouver cited Morrisroe’s retained counsel line and noted that it sat at $27,000, to which Rosas responded that the city had two pending cases last year which is why he retained counsel.

“And then he has a lawsuit against the council,” VanDenVouver interjected. “So that’s why we’re putting $10,000 back into our account with the retained counsel and with his $62,000 that he was paid this year he’s already exceeding $90,000 plus our bill which is over $100,000. My suggestion is if he doesn’t like the $45,000 look elsewhere.”

Rosas, before leaving the meeting, had one final statement. “I can just tell you that this budget, it’s not going to get through,” he said.

VanDenVouver further commented on Morrisroe’s salary. “He made $62,000. The last council OK’d $45,000 in that budget line and he said that you guys approved a budget with $62,000 because it was in the budget, but never on a resolution form,” he said. “So what we’re doing, we’re OK’ing this budget, but without raises.

“I asked if there were any hidden raises and the mayor said no, so this is the budget that we’re agreeing to and we’re going back to the $45,000 that was originally for his salary. With almost $30,000 in retained counsel and $62,000 that he’s making, plus the $10,000 already that it’s costing the lawsuit that he filed against the council, if it was up to me, he’d be on his ear outside.

“I think there’s a lot of other people, a lot of other attorneys and his threats that he’ll go elsewhere and start working more on his private practice, well so be it.

“He wouldn’t have had a problem leaving us high and dry if he won the county executive race. To me I think we need to go in a different direction and we have to start out with somebody new if he doesn’t like it. If he likes it, he’s more than welcome to be here, but it’s going to be at $45,000.”