Title
Resolution to Approve the Hiring of Atleen Kaur as City Attorney
Staff
Prepared by: Kevin McDonald, Chief Deputy City Attorney
Approved by: Stephen K. Postema, City Attorney
Body
Whereas, The Charter of the City of Ann Arbor requires the City Council to hire the City Attorney;
Whereas, The City Attorney is one of two positions directly reporting to the City Council and, as attorney and counsel for the City, it is a position integral to the proper functioning and governance of the City;
Whereas, The current City Attorney, Stephen K. Postema, announced on January 4, 2021 his intent to retire in 2022, after over 18 years of service to the City, and then provided the City Administration Committee with a preliminary target date for his retirement of April 30, 2022, with a final date to be determined by the City Attorney in 2022;
Whereas, The Council Administration Committee began advanced planning for the City Attorney search in May, 2021;
Whereas, The City Council authorized the hiring of Consultant Amy Cell to assist the City Council with the search process in Resolution R-21-208 on June 7, 2021;
Whereas, Consultant Cell and her team, in preparation for this search, interviewed the City Councilmembers, members of the Executive Team at the City, members of the City Attorney’s Office, and significant members of the local legal community;
Whereas, Consultant Amy Cell provided a search timeline, job description, talent rubric, and a salary range for the position which was approved by the City Council by Resolution 21-1328 on July 20, 2021;
Whereas, The timeline had the goals of identifying a suitable candidate by November 15, 2021, reaching an employment agreement with a candidate by January 10, 2022, and having the candidate start by March, 2022 if possible to provide an overlap period with the current City Attorney;
Whereas, Consultant Cell posted on national job boards, marketed the opportunity through key professional organizations, and conducted extensive outreach in the legal community locally and nationally to identify suitable candidates;
Whereas, Consultant Cell received 20 applications for the position, and provided detailed background information on eight semi-finalist candidates to the Council Administration Committee;
Whereas, On September 14, 2021 the Council Administration Committee reviewed the semi-finalist candidates with Consultant Cell;
Whereas, On September 27, 2021 the City Council reviewed the semi-finalist candidates with Consultant Cell and, by Resolution 21-1716, recommended two finalists for the position, including Attorney Atleen Kaur;
Whereas, The other candidate withdrew from the search process;
Whereas, A public interview with Attorney Kaur was scheduled with the City Council, as well as interviews with the City Executive Team, and the City Attorney’s Office on October 6 and 7, 2021, then subsequent small group interviews were scheduled with members of the City Attorney’s Office and the candidate on October 14 and October 20, 2021, and feedback was obtained from those interviews;
Whereas, Based on the positive feedback received from the search process and the interviews of the candidate, the Council Administration Committee on October 22, 2021 unanimously recommended Atleen Kaur for the position of City Attorney to begin at an agreed upon time in 2022;
Whereas, Atleen Kaur is an 18-year resident of Ann Arbor who came to Ann Arbor after graduating from Columbia Law School in 2002;
Whereas, Atleen Kaur has held significant legal and leadership positions: She is currently the Assistant General Counsel, Lead Counsel & Compliance officer for Global Electronics & ADAS Division for ZF Group in Michigan; prior to this position she spent nine years at Yazaki North America including her final position there as VP, General Counsel and Compliance Officer; and prior to that was an attorney at the Ann Arbor office of the Michigan law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone; and
Whereas, The City Council expresses gratitude for the work of Consultant Cell in this search process;
RESOLVED, That Attorney Atleen Kaur be offered the position of Ann Arbor City Attorney to begin at a time in 2022 to be mutually determined by her and the City Council; and
RESOLVED, That the Mayor negotiate a proposed employment agreement with Atleen Kaur and bring this agreement back to the City Council for approval at the December 6, 2021 City Council meeting;
Sponsored by: The Council Administration Committee