Erie County reviews ordinances to fill three assistant public defender posts and an assistant district attorney slot
October 31, 2025 | Erie County, Pennsylvania
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Erie County officials read multiple personnel ordinances and discussed filling assistant public defender and assistant district attorney positions at the personnel meeting.
An individual who identified herself as Nicole Solon Conner Lake introduced attorney Michael Dejohn and described one candidate as having 19 years' experience as an attorney and seven years with the office; presenters asked for posted salaries for the assistant public defender positions of "around less than $70,000" for new attorneys coming out of law school and beginning work in the office. The transcript records three separate ordinances for full‑time assistant public defender positions and a separate ordinance for an assistant attorney/assistant district attorney salary; the presenters said these are new or recently completed hires and asked for the posted rates to match the positions.
On the assistant attorney / assistant district attorney position, staff said there is a vacancy and that the ADA who left in January—described by staff as a high‑performing prosecutor—has expressed interest in returning. Staff said they hope to rehire the attorney at the rate he was previously paid. During the discussion staff read a budgeted salary figure for the assistant attorney position as $78,007.73 and said the position originally was budgeted in 2025 at about $76,479; members discussed updating the budget to reflect any change.
A staff member stated county policy allows rehiring an employee who leaves and returns within a year at the same salary, and members praised recruitment and retention work. The transcript indicates the ordinances were read for consideration (first readings are noted), but it does not record a roll‑call vote or formal adoption of the ordinances in the provided excerpt.
No outside applicants or public commenters spoke on the personnel items during the excerpted portion of the meeting. Staff indicated the budget would be updated as needed and the personnel items would advance for formal processing; the transcript does not show final votes.
An individual who identified herself as Nicole Solon Conner Lake introduced attorney Michael Dejohn and described one candidate as having 19 years' experience as an attorney and seven years with the office; presenters asked for posted salaries for the assistant public defender positions of "around less than $70,000" for new attorneys coming out of law school and beginning work in the office. The transcript records three separate ordinances for full‑time assistant public defender positions and a separate ordinance for an assistant attorney/assistant district attorney salary; the presenters said these are new or recently completed hires and asked for the posted rates to match the positions.
On the assistant attorney / assistant district attorney position, staff said there is a vacancy and that the ADA who left in January—described by staff as a high‑performing prosecutor—has expressed interest in returning. Staff said they hope to rehire the attorney at the rate he was previously paid. During the discussion staff read a budgeted salary figure for the assistant attorney position as $78,007.73 and said the position originally was budgeted in 2025 at about $76,479; members discussed updating the budget to reflect any change.
A staff member stated county policy allows rehiring an employee who leaves and returns within a year at the same salary, and members praised recruitment and retention work. The transcript indicates the ordinances were read for consideration (first readings are noted), but it does not record a roll‑call vote or formal adoption of the ordinances in the provided excerpt.
No outside applicants or public commenters spoke on the personnel items during the excerpted portion of the meeting. Staff indicated the budget would be updated as needed and the personnel items would advance for formal processing; the transcript does not show final votes.
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