Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain is floating the idea of hiring an “in-house” city attorney, a significant departure from the current model of operating under a retainer contract with a local law firm.

Although the concept of hiring an attorney as a full-time city employee was discussed and rejected more than 30 years ago, LaFountain says it makes sense today to at least “explore” the idea.

Currently, Harry B. Center serves as the city’s attorney when needed. Center also has several other clients and is a managing partner at Woodman Edmands, a small Biddeford-based law firm located on Main Street.

During the Dec. 16 council meeting, LaFountain will ask the council to approve a six-month contract renewal for Center. Typically, the city’s attorney is appointed for two years.

LaFountain said it only makes sense to keep Center on board while the council digs deeper in consideration of the proposed change.

“We need to make sure that we have stability moving forward,” LaFountain said during an interview with the Gazette. “We have lots of items and issues under consideration. I am not proposing to make any changes without fully vetting the plan with the city council.”

LaFountain said it may turn out that hiring an in-house attorney would not be a good idea. “I just want us to consider the possibility and think about potential benefits and advantages.”

In a memo to the city council, LaFountain wrote: “Biddeford is entering a period of increased legal activity across land use, development agreements, personnel matters, and policy implementation.”

Center says he will continue to serve the city to the best of his ability, regardless of whether the council decides to make a change at the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2026.

Center says he bills the city at a rate of $225 per hour, a fraction of the billable rates of attorneys working in larger Portland firms.

“It’s just a matter of what makes the best overall sense for the city,” LaFountain explained. “We are in a transition period. We have six new councilors coming on board, a new city manager and we’re looking to hire a new economic and development director and new chief operating officer.

“This may be the exact time to consider making a change in how we handle our legal services,” the mayor added.

On the advantage side, LaFountain says having an in-house attorney could improve efficiency, responsiveness and long-term cost management, similar to models used in other municipalities of comparable size. Both Portland and Bangor have an in-house attorney, he said.

Shortly after graduating from law school, Center was hired by the late Mayor Roger Normand in 1992.

Center resigned his position as city solicitor in 2004 to pursue a new job in the private sector. Center returned as the city’s attorney after being appointed by Mayor Alan Casavant to replace Keith Jacques upon his retirement in 2022.

Over the years, Center has served under five mayors (Normand, Grattelo, Dion, Casavant and Grohman).

A Biddeford native, Center attended St. Mary’s School and graduated from Biddeford High School in 1980.

“I have seen a lot of changes over the years,” Center said. “There are always ups and downs. The bottom line is that I serve at the pleasure of the mayor and city council.”

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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