After serving as Bellevue's city attorney for 20 years, Jim Phillips has decided to step down, or more appropriately, sail away, from the position, which has been filled by Frederick Allington.
Bellevue Mayor Jon Anderson appointed the Hailey-based attorney to the job on Tuesday, Nov. 13, a decision that was unanimously approved by the City Council.
At the beginning of its Nov. 13 meeting, the council held an executive session to interview Allington and two other candidates, Jill Eshman, who has her own practice in Ketchum, and Adam King, a partner with the Ketchum-based firm Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley.
"It was great to have three very qualified candidates," Phillips said after his successor was named. "I think Allington was a good choice because his ability and temperament make him well-suited for the position."
In addition to having his own private law practice, Allington is the prosecuting attorney for the cities of Ketchum, Sun Valley, Hailey and Bellevue. In a letter he sent to Anderson in September, Allington stated that he spent four years in the early 1990s advising the Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission and staff on a broad range of planning and legal issues and is familiar with the open meeting and public hearing requirements.
"I'm very excited to get this job—there's a lot exciting things going on in Bellevue right now," Allington said this week. "I've been looking forward to this kind of position since my days working with the county."
Allington said he enjoys doing the prosecuting work, but wanted to get more involved at the government level.
Bellevue Mayor Jon Anderson agreed that Allington's past history with the city should serve him well in his new position.
"He's been our prosecuting attorney for a few years and done really well with that," Anderson said. "I think he will be a perfect fit."
The new attorney will be sworn in at a council meeting on Dec. 3, though Phillips said he will continue to consult in order to help make a smooth transition.
However, around mid-January, Phillips will end his two decades of serving Bellevue in style by embarking on a sailing trip that could last up to eight months.
Phillips said he intends to sail through the Panama Canal and head to the Galapagos Islands and eventually Australia.
It's likely that a number of big issues will remain for Allington when Phillips departs, including developer Jeff Pfaeffle's 100-acre Strahorn Ranch annexation proposal, a contract for service with the Blaine County Sheriff's Office, and the potential consolidation of the Bellevue Fire Department with the Hailey Fire Department and Wood River Fire & Rescue.
Frederick Allington Express photo by Jon Duval
