Although the City of Marathon contracts with the large Miami-based law firm Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff Sitterson, P.A., to handle its legal services, over the last three years there has been one face the council has typically seen handling its day-to-day business.

Jimmy Morales, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner, took over the reins as Marathon's primary legal advisor from another attorney in his firm, John Herin, who was the city's original attorney. Now Herin will be stepping back into the main seat, a switch that drew the ire of several council members.

"In the three and half years I've grown fond of working with our city attorney Jimmy Morales," said Councilman Pete Worthington. "I'm dismayed to hear he is no longer going to be down here working for Marathon."

Worthington noted that Morales, who lives on the mainland, had purchased a house in Marathon.

"I think he is part of this community," Worthington said.

During a previous stint on the council, Worthington had been on board when Herin was the city's primary legal representative. First-term Councilwoman Ginger Snead did not have that luxury.

"Until last week on Tuesday I didn't even have your phone number," Snead said of Herin.

Herin said the decision to switch was made internally within the firm. According to Herin, the firm recently took on a legal services contract with the City of Doral. Herin said it became too difficult for Morales, who took on Doral due to some connections to the area, to try and handle both cities at once.

"We recently came to the conclusion that both clients would be best served in the long run if one person would focus on servicing that client," Herin said.

Issues over the switch now appear to give City Councilman Dick Ramsay more ammunition in his fight to bring the city's legal services in-house instead of contracting with an outside firm. Ramsay had proposed a study be done to determine if such a move was cost effective earlier this year, but was shut down.

I believe the city's arrangement with Sterns Weaver is questionable versus bringing our attorney services in-house," Ramsay said.

He added that he did not mind working with either Morales or Herin, but did not like asking one a question and being told the other had the answer.

"If this is what we got I would like it to be semi-permanent," Ramsay said of having Herin take the lead.

Herin apologized for any apparent lack of communication regarding the switch.