The City Solicitor shall be an attorney-at-law admitted to practice in the State of Ohio and be an elector of the City, and shall be a qualified elector therein prior to his election, and shall have such assistants of like qualifications as the Council may authorize. The City Solicitor shall be the legal adviser of and attorney and counsel for the Municipality, and for all officers and departments thereof in matters relating to their official duties. He shall prepare all contracts, bonds, and other instruments in writing in which the Municipality is concerned, and shall endorse on each his approval of the form and correctness thereof; and no such contract with the City shall take effect until his approval is endorsed thereon. He and his assistants shall be the prosecuting attorney of the Municipal Court, and he shall perform such other duties as the Council shall require.
The City Solicitor shall be nominated and elected by the legal voters of the City at the regular municipal election for a term of 4 years; and, except as hereinafter set forth, shall serve until his successor is elected and qualified. He, the City Solicitor, shall be nominated and elected in the same manner as is provided in Section 42 of the present Charter of the City of Ashtabula for the elective officers of the City and shall be nominated in the same manner as is provided for nomination of candidates for councilman-at-large.
The City Solicitor shall not be removed from office during his elective term, except in manner provided by the general laws of Ohio, applicable to cities of the State. The City Solicitor when elected and before entering upon his duties shall give bond to the City of Ashtabula in the sum of $1,500, the said bond to provide for the faithful performance of his duties as City Solicitor and to be approved by the City Council. The office of City Solicitor is hereby declared to be an elective office.
During temporary or permanent vacancies in the office of City Solicitor, a successor with the same qualifications as required of candidates for City Solicitor of the City, shall be appointed by the City Council in the manner provided in the within Section 27 for filling temporary and permanent vacancies in the office of City Manager and until a successor in the same manner shall be elected and has qualified.
(Amended 5-3-94)