Here's how much Topeka will pay law firm that investigated ex-city manager Stephen Wade
Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal
August 15, 2023·2 min read
Topeka's city government this week will pay $34,091.35 to the law firm that carried out the investigation that preceded last month's firing of city manager Stephen Wade.
City communications director Gretchen Spiker shared that information with The Capital-Journal on Friday in response to a Kansas Open Records Act request the newspaper filed last month.
The city earlier provided the newspaper a copy of its contract with the law firm, Joseph Hollander & Craft, LLC. That agreement called for the city to pay that firm $450 an hour for services rendered, up to a maximum of $35,000.
Reasons for city's firing of Stephen Wade haven't been made public
Topeka's city government this week will pay a law firm $34,091.35 for the investigation it conducted that preceded last month's firing of city manager Stephen Wade, shown here.
The mayor and city council voted June 6 to grant Wade a leave of absence from his job. Wade requested the leave so he could receive hospitalization for mental health reasons, he told The Capital-Journal last month.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wade, whom the mayor and council hired as city manager last September, was told soon after requesting leave that "an investigation was going to be conducted," he said.
The mayor and council then voted 10-0 on July 11 to fire Wade, for reasons that haven't been made public. They chose Richard Nienstedt, who was temporarily serving as acting city manager, to serve as interim city manager.
Nienstedt is expected to remain interim manager through the end of September, Councilwoman Karen Hiller said at last week's council meeting.
When will the payment to the law firm be made?
In response to a request filed under the Kansas Open Records Act, Topeka's city government charged The Capital-Journal $5 last month to acquire a copy of the city's contract with Joseph Hollander & Craft.
ADVERTISEMENT
Spiker said at the time that the city hadn't yet received the final bill from Joseph Hollander & Craft but would be happy to reveal the amount involved once that amount became known.
After The Capital-Journal requested an update last Friday, Spiker said the city Friday of this week will make that payment, of $34,091.35, to Joseph Hollander & Craft LLC.
"The payment is currently being processed and will be paid out on that date," she said.
Wade served from 2018 to 2020 as publisher of The Topeka Capital-Journal.
