CLEVELAND – After 33 and a half years of dedicated service as legal advisor to the City of Cleveland, attorney Grant Keene has decided it’s time to step aside.
Keene, who has been talking privately with the council for a few months, officially submitted his resignation during Monday’s city council meeting. He expressed his appreciation for the years serving the city and said he would remain with the city through the remainder of this year.
Keene has served as City Attorney for the majority of his legal career.
Cleveland Mayor Josh Turner thanked Keene for his service saying, “On behalf of all the staff and city council, councils prior, former mayors, I want to thank you for your service and your counsel to the city of Cleveland and we recognize the professional abilities that you possess and your courteous professional behavior you have always exhibited. I appreciate your kindness, I appreciate your service, and just want to say thank you and it’s been a pleasure working with you, and look forward to working with you for the rest of the year.”
Keene looked back at how things have changed over the past three decades and noted he’s not retiring, “I’m continuing to serve private parties, so this is only stepping back from the city attorney job. So, hopefully, for a little while longer, I’ll be able to address private issues,” he said.
During Monday’s meeting, the council gave their approval to engage the professional services of the law firm Smith, Gilliam, Williams, and Miles in Gainesville. Team member Keith Whitaker, who is a native and lifelong resident of Cleveland, will serve as legal counsel for the city.
Whitaker told the council that he “looks forward to trying to fill the shoes of Mr. Keene.”
Prior to joining the Gainesville firm in 2007, Whitaker served for two years as the Judicial Law Clerk for the Superior Courts of the Enotah Judicial Circuit, which includes White, Lumpkin, Union, and Towns counties.
