In his last official administrative act, Mayor Lynn Pett signed into law Friday afternoon a controversial ordinance that will require five of Murray's top appointed officials to live within the city.
That ended three days of speculation about whether Pett - who leaves office Monday - would sign, not sign or veto the new city residency requirement enacted by a 4-0 council vote last Tuesday.The requirement only applies to the city's police chief, fire chief, public works director, city council executive director and mayor's executive assistant.
Pett said Friday he signed the new city law as a show of support to the City Coun-cil.
"I talked to (mayor-elect) Dan Snarr, and he understands why I signed it," Pett said.
But by signing the ordinance, Pett also appears to have set the stage for an attempt by new council members to rescind the residency requirement, pending further study and public input.
Councilman-elect John Rush said Tuesday he may move to overturn the ordinance at the Jan. 13 council meeting and appeal to council members to give the public an opportunity for input.
Snarr has vigorously opposed the requirement, charging members of the old City Council are unfairly limiting his ability to hire the executive assistant of his choice. Snarr asked D'Arcy Pignanelli, who has experience both as a city administrator and legislative lobbyist, to serve in that role.
The law gives Pignanelli one year to move into the city or leave the job.
Firing off a letter to Pett last Monday, Snarr urged the departing mayor to either veto the ordinance or withhold his signature, which would let Snarr veto the law when he takes office.
Snarr was out of town Friday night and not available for comment, but Pignanelli said the mayor-elect was "disappointed . . . but not surprised" by Pett's decision.
"We had hoped the mayor would have been more sensitive to these issues," she said, considering the council opposition Pett ran into eight years ago when he hired his executive assistant, Jack DeMann.
Pignanelli, who has a master's degree in public administration, said Snarr still considers the ordinance arbitrary, ill-timed and lacking proper public input.
"But I'm still going to come on board, at least for this year," she said, adding the issue "may be revisited" some time in the next 12 months.