Saundra Kee Borges left her post as the lead attorney for Hartford and Mayor Pedro Segarra.
But now, she's back -- for baseball.
First reported on Kevin Brookman's We The People blog, the city has apparently asked Kee Borges to continuing advising it on matters related to the new stadium development project.
According to a letter Brookman said he obtained from the city through a freedom of information request, Kee Borges will be working "in connection with DoNo and the stadium authority, revisions to the Hartford Municipal Code and various matters as may be assigned by the Corporation Counsel."
City spokeswoman Maribel La Luz confirmed the arrangement, saying Kee Borges is doing the close-out work "as part of transition."
Update: In a statement, La Luz said that Kee Borges is to be paid $17,000 for work done over the course of about a month. From the email:
We needed to keep Sandy on to complete critical and time-sensitive work on DoNo contracts and negotiations, which were on going during the time of separation. She is scheduled for a payment of just over $17,000 for hours of work between Feb 1 and March 6, 2015. The projects have been substantially completed and we don’t expect any further services beyond March 31.
Another update: One of Segarra's challengers, Luke Bronin, said that rehiring Kee Borges was the wrong move.
"I suspect there are a lot of lawyers involved in this deal, and if she really did have a specialized expertise or knowledge, then I think it would have made sense to delay her retirement," Bronin said. "I think the issue is that we've got to be good stewards of taxpayer money. We're facing a $50 million budget gap. We're going to need help from the state. So we've got to show that we're smart about how we spend our money, in ways big and small."
This comes a day after Segarra, in a celebratory state of the city address, also told residents that the city is facing a $48 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year.
Segarra's campaign declined to comment.
And Another Update:
Another challenger, John Gale, had this to say in an emailed statement.
"I served as the past chairman of the professional discipline committee for the Connecticut Bar Association. I can say that awarding a $17,000 one-month contract to Sandy months after she retired from the same position has the appearance of impropriety," he said. "Mayor Segarra isn't representing the kind of ethical leadership I would bring to the position. Furthermore, the fact that the director of corporate counsel position has sat vacant for months with no apparent successor highlights the mayor's inability to manage day-to-day affairs. "
