Isabella prosecutors office seeking new, temporary attorney spot

Calling the current situation in the prosecutors office “unworkable” because of a staff shorted by the resignation of Risa Hunt-Scully, Acting Prosecutor Robert Holmes is asking Isabella County commissioners to approve a new but temporary senior position.

If approved, the senior prosecuting attorney would join a staff of five and allow enough personnel to cover proceedings in the county court as well as maintain responsibilities in the prosecutor’s office, Holmes said in a letter to commissioners.

Related: Prosecutor Hunt-Scully leaves mid term

After interviewing six candidates for the spot, Isabella County Circuit Court Judges Paul H. Chamberlain and Mark Duthie opted not to appoint an interim prosecutor to fill the position before the November election.

Instead, the judges kept Holmes as acting prosecutor and retained their right to appoint someone at a later time.

Related: Isabella judges punt for now on prosecutor decision

That decision has left a vacancy in the office and leaves the assistant prosecutors in the county unable to keep up with the demands of the office, Holmes wrote.

“On any given day there are four courts and one hearing room which need coverage by an assistant prosecutor. With only five assistant prosecutors on staff such a dispersal of professional personnel leaves the office unattended by any attorney,” he wrote.

That leaves no one to attend to paperwork and other office duties while at the same time making the ability to meet with and answer questions from residents “painfully and dangerously delayed,” Holmes wrote to commissioners.

The lack of vacancies left by the judges’ decision means that even though the office is down by one attorney no one can be hired to round out the staff, spurring the decision to ask county commissioners to create a new position in the meantime.

Because Hunt-Scully was a felony prosecutor, Holmes is asking for a position with pay commensurate to the experience needed to handle those cases and noted that the position could be terminated when a newly-elected prosecutor takes over in January of 2019.

The temporary senior prosecuting attorney position would be considered a “level 15” employee with a starting salary of around $53,000, according to documents included in Holmes’s request.

“Absence swift assistance toward alleviating the aforementioned staffing shortage, this office may not be able to meet its charged duties,” Holmes wrote.

Commissioners are expected to hear from Holmes on the issue during their work session Tuesday at 4 p.m., and may vote on whether to add the position at their 7 p.m. meeting.