Lawton searching for new city attorney

City of Lawton officials will be using a two-pronged process to find a new city attorney.

City Council members directed city administrators Monday to craft a new agreement with Strategic Government Resources to coordinate the search for the city’s highest ranking legal official while also telling them to begin advertising the position in its usual places. The goal is the replacement of the city attorney, one of four city administrators who work for the council.

Council members are searching for a replacement for John Ratliff, who began working as city attorney in January 2021 but who had had been functioning as interim city manager before being named to the job on a permanent basis last week. Deputy City Attorney Tim Wilson has been acting city attorney since Ratliff took on the city’s top administrative job in March. The city has used Strategic Government Resources in previous administrative searching, including the search that led to the hiring of former City Manager Michael Cleghorn.

Council members have not said how long they expect the search to take.