BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
When Dick Burton left the post of Turlock City Attorney on June 30, a position he had held for 14 years, there was a bit of a stir in Turlock City Hall. Burton’s departure left large shoes to fill, and city staff seemed unsure if anyone would be able to replace him.
“I want a little Dick Burton,” said Mayor John Lazar earlier this year at a meeting to determine criteria for the new attorney.
In order to find a qualified candidate, the city contracted with Ralph Anderson & Associates, executive recruiters, who began a search at a cost to the city of $22,750.
The city set forth a long list of qualities that an ideal candidate should possess, including strong and expansive litigation background, excellent writing and public speaking skills, and the ability to address legal issues with a problem solving approach.
While a large pool of applicants came knocking in hopes of being Turlock’s next City Attorney, it turns out that what they were looking for was already right in their own backyard. At the end of the day, it was Turlock’s own Phaedra Norton that was awarded the position.
“I was humbled to be chosen,” said Norton. “This is a great opportunity to do what I love in the same community I live in.”
Norton graduated from the Humphreys College Laurence Drivon School of Law before spending nine years with the City of Modesto, eventually attaining the title of Modesto Senior Deputy City Attorney. While with the City of Modesto, Norton dealt with a broad range of legislative tasks, including personnel, public works, public safety, finance, and utility issues.
“I was lucky to land in public service,” Norton said. “It’s an honorable profession to be in and it’s honorable to serve the community.”
The experience with the City of Modesto left Norton well prepared for her new post with Turlock. Since taking office July 16, the transition has been termed as nothing but smooth by all parties involved.
“(Norton has) hit the ground running and been a tremendous asset in the six or seven days she’s been here,” said City Manager Tim Kerr at last week’s City Council meeting.
Since Norton brought a certain amount of expertise with her, she’s gotten up to speed quickly, but she’s also gone to work on learning the ins and outs of the myriad issues unique to Turlock.
As Norton begins to familiarize herself with every possible thing that could come up in the course of a meeting, ranging from bike parks to homeless to contract negotiations, her goal is to be equally prepared for every issue on the agenda.
“It’s all interesting,” said Norton before rattling off a seemingly never-ending list of duties. “It’s challenging, but it’s all in a day’s work.”
The first meeting of August should be yet another challenge, with the potentially contentious conditional use permit for the homeless shelter on the agenda, but Norton isn’t worried.
“This is a fun job,” Norton said with a smile. “It really is.”
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 8/1/2008.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.