Staff File Photo by Tim Barber/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Mayor Ron Littlefield makes his case to the city council about his police chief choice.The chairman of the City Council's Legal and Legislative Committee has raised questions about whether Mayor Ron Littlefield should be removed from office.
In an email to fellow council members this morning, Peter Murphy suggested the council may have to hire an outside attorney to help interpret city law on how to proceed now that a recall petition has been certified.
"There is the question of whether we have a ministerial duty to pass a resolution that would temporarily replace him [Littlefield] with Chairwoman [Pam] Ladd," he wrote.
The question for council members is whether the charter states the mayor should be removed from office until a recall election in August 2012 or whether the mayor can continue to serve.
But Murphy noted that council members have to be cautious because there could be different interpretations of the City Charter.
Murphy wrote that that he has not come to any firm conclusion on whether the mayor should be ousted.
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