Ishpeming City Council interviews potential city attorneys

ISHPEMING — The process of interviewing potential replacements for long-standing Ishpeming City Attorney David Savu began Wednesday morning.

The City Council spent the morning speaking to four of the five candidates for the position, all of whom originate from or practice within the Marquette County area. Dominic Andriacchi Junior and Senior, Caroline Bridges, Bonnie Hoff, and Kevin Koch all sat before the council to vie for the job.

“The City Council decided that they wanted to interview all of the candidates that had submitted applications prior to the deadline,” said City Manager Mark Slown. “There have been a couple of candidates who submitted after the deadline, and the council had elected not to interview them.”

Savu, who is retiring at the end of the year, led the questioning of hopefuls. In addition to asking about municipal experience, he evaluated candidates’ exposure to election law and access to legal research materials. Council members and the city manager also raised additional questions, including those regarding experience with USDA rural services grant processes.

“Qualifications are probably the most important quantifiable thing, and of course there’s a lot of opinion in what constitutes the best qualifications,” Slown added. “I think the chemistry between the individual and the City Council is important also.”

After meeting with the candidates, the council made a motion to hire Dominic Andriacchi Junior and Senior, which failed. They’ll meet on September 8th to continue discussing the candidates.

Karl Weber, a fifth candidate who wasn’t able to show up today, has been eliminated from consideration.