By Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Before Pasco Sheriff Bob White let them go, attorneys Mike Randall and Mary Anne Burke weighed in on everything from disciplinary hearings to illegal bingo to forfeiture settlements.
One issue they say they rarely touched: The budget.
Not so with the politically connected attorneys who replaced them in 2009.
Newly released legal invoices show that general counsel Jeremiah Hawkes and contract attorney Richard Corcoran have taken on an expanded role when it comes to the sheriff's budget, department reorganization and even the controversial immigration issue.
The invoices, which were requested by county administrators as part of their fight against White's budget appeal, show that:
• Corcoran provided legal and strategic advice on a budget appeal less than a month after White sent his proposed spending plan to the County Commission.
• White sought counsel from Corcoran on illegal immigration the ...