Though it was somewhat

overshadowed by other judicial concerns, the

reappointment of Municipal Court Judge Mitch Powell was

approved by the City Council of Peachtree City at its

March 2 meeting.

The proposed reappointment

of Webb, Stuckey & Lindsey as city attorney also was

on the agenda, but no vote was taken due to an ethics

complaint recently filed with the city concerning senior

partner Jim Webb.

Powell's reappointment was

not a slam dunk, however, despite his glowing

recommendation from city staff and council members.

"I feel we owe it to

our citizens to have a judge of Mr. Powell's experience

and proven track record to serve them," said city

manager Jim Basinger in his written recommendation.

Powell, who works with the

Newnan firm of Glover & Davis, has served the city

since 1992.

Mayor Bob Lenox agreed,

calling Powell a "judge in a million."

Councilwoman Annie McMenamin made a motion to approve

Powell's reappointment, and she was seconded by

Councilwoman Carol Fritz.

But in the ensuing

discussion phase, Councilman Dan Tennant questioned the

price the city would be paying for Powell's services.

After being paid $95 per

hour for a total of about $27,000 last year, Powell set

his fee at $120 per hour in the most recent bid for the

bench, Basinger said.

Tennant asked if any of the

other five candidates were interviewed, and Basinger said

they were not, because city staff was most interested in

retaining Powell and did not see anything in the other

applicants' resumes to warrant an interview.

While agreeing with the

overall assessment of Powell's services, Tennant said

that the city is "all over the map" on pricing,

and if there are other candidates who can be retained for

less, they should be considered.

"I think as stewards

of the people's money, we owe it to the people of

Peachtree City," he said, adding that the city

should not automatically take the lowest bid, but should

investigate all of its options.

Tennant specifically

pointed out Judge Sharon Pierce, who already serves the

municipal courts of Fayetteville and Tyrone and has

received glowing reviews from officials in both of those

municipalities. Her bid of $65 per hour is considerably

less than Powell's, Tennant said, and her preference for

splitting the court into separate sessions for

arraignments and trials would save the city more money.

But Tennant was unable to

sway any of his peers, and Powell was approved 4-1.