Richmond City Attorney Norman B. Sales announced yesterday that he plans to retire effective Dec. 31, citing personal reasons. Sales has been the city attorney for the past four years and has worked in the city attorney’s office for more than 20 years. The city attorney is appointed by City Council. Sales’ decision to retire comes after he found himself frequently in the middle of legal clashes between the council and then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder. Is is also a time that the city is considering possible charter changes, including whether the city attorney should be appointed jointly by the mayor and the council, not just by the council.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ plan to reorganize several city departments won’t be legally binding without approval by the City Council, City Attorney Norman B. Sales said yesterday. At the request of several council members, Sales issued an opinion on the restructuring plan announced last week by the Jones administration. He said the city charter gives Chief Administrative Officer Byron C. Marshall the power to temporarily reassign employees under his control but reserves for the council the authority to alter or reorganize city departments.

A candidate for Richmond City Council says he was fired from his job with the city last week because he’s running for election. Clarence Kenney doesn’t dispute the city code section that prohibits him from being a candidate and employee at the same time—he just wants to know why his job wasn’t an issue when he ran for council last year.

Richmond Times-Dispatch Exclusive: Six-figure wages reach from big localities to tiny King and Queen.