County Board vs. County Attorney.

The new County Attorney Melanie Ford is not making any friends with the board as she buddies up with unions ( more on that later).


Here is part of what the paper had today,
On her first day in office, incoming St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford found herself facing a battle with county commissioners
.
The St. Louis County Board on Tuesday asked the administration to recommend an attorney to represent the board in a dispute over FordÂ’s annual wage and budget cuts made in her department.

Ford last week filed a 14-page document in St. Louis County District Court appealing a Dec. 12 board resolution that trimmed $100,000 from the 2007 county attorneyÂ’s office budget. SheÂ’s also challenging a salary of $95,125, about $40,000 less than what defeated seven-term incumbent Alan Mitchell would have earned this year.


Commissioners Dennis Fink of Duluth and Keith Nelson flywayyal Township asked the administration to have a recommendation on an attorney at next weekÂ’s board meeting. A motion by Fink to hire an attorney passed 6-0. Commissioner Peg Sweeney of Duluth was absent due to illness.


The action is the latest in what has become a high-profile county issue.

One big thing for Ford to keep in mind is that Mitchell got an increase as the years went on, so would she. She can not expect to start out at what a 20 year incumbent was making. She starts at the bottom and works her way up, even if she is only there for four years. Which will be the case.

She has burned her in with the county board and they will be unwilling to work with as she will be unwilling to work with them.

Just a side note, some board members will look to take on the unions and will look at her as nothing but a union lap dog.