The Alachua City Commission fired City Attorney Marian Rush in the closing minutes of a regular meeting on Monday with a 3-2 vote to terminate the city’s contract with Robert A. Rush, P.A. law firm.  

Commissioners cited the city of Alachua’s growth and need for an in-house attorney, but opponents called out the unexpected timing. 

Commissioner Jennifer Ringersen waived meeting rules and procedures during commissioner comment in order to make the motion. The motion directed Interim City Manager Rodolfo Valladares to send a formal notice to Rush’s law firm and advertise the soon-to-be-open position.  

Rush, who has served as Alachua’s city attorney since 2003 and whose contract extends through Sept. 30, 2026, will remain city attorney for 30 days. She’s held at a retainer rate of $11,500 a month with additional services at $200 an hour. 

“With the direction and the growth of the city, I think it’s important for us as we continue to grow to have somebody in-house,” Ringersen said.  

Vice Mayor Shirley Green Brown and Commissioner Dayna Williams voted in favor of firing Rush, with Commissioner Jacob Fletcher and Mayor Walter Welch in dissent. 

Welch said he was confused, and Fletcher said he felt blindsided by the motion. 

Fletcher disagreed with firing Rush without a replacement. He said the item should’ve been placed on the agenda so staff and the public could know about it.  

“[It’s] really confusing how three commissioners, it seems like, were all in agreement that this was the best route as an item at the end of the agenda to terminate our city attorney,” he said. “That’s highly unusual…It’s very mind-boggling that we’re deciding we want to try and move forward with that at this time period.” 

Green Brown said she voted for firing Rush because the city has come a long way and needed to move forward.  

She said, after serving on the City Commission for many years, she believes Valladares has great visions for the city and that it’s important to “look at all aspects of the city.” 

Williams agreed with Green Brown and Ringersen that Alachua had grown enough to support an in-house city attorney who could focus solely on the city.  

She refuted any inferences that the commissioners in favor of firing Rush were “in cahoots” and said it’s an appropriate time to have the conversation during budget season.  

Williams said that Rush would be welcome to apply for the new attorney position. Rush said she would be interested, if that’s what the commission wanted. 

“The fact is that attorney Rush does have her own private firm,” Williams said. “It has other clients and things, and although, yes, she focuses on the city, I think that it’s time for our city to go down this road of having an in-house city attorney.” 

Rush’s firing comes one meeting after the commission called off an investigation into the resignations of three former city planners for the second time this year.   

The commission directed Rush on May 19 to research potential legal counsel that could conduct the investigation.  

Rush presented the legal counsel candidates during the July 28 meeting, where Fletcher and Welch voted in favor of hiring one. But Williams’ and Ringersen’s votes against it killed the motion to do so.