Mack also asked Jacobson to adjourn the hearing to because he must first receive City Council approval to hire an attorney to represent him in the matter
TRENTON - Trenton Mayor Tony Mack, who was convicted on corruption charges two weeks ago, is seeking to have the city of Trenton foot the bill for an attorney to represent him in the state's move to oust him from office.
Mack is set to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing before Judge Mary Jacobson. The hearing was scheduled after the state Office of the Attorney General filed a motion to remove Mack from office following his conviction.
Mack asked Jacobson to adjourn the hearing to because he must first receive City Council approval to hire an attorney to represent him in the matter, though Jacobson has already denied the adjournment.
"The City of Trenton legal department instructed me on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 that I would need city council approval before I could hire legal representation," Mack wrote in the letter on City of Trenton Office of the Mayor letterhead.
"I am writing to ask Your Honor to intervene and mandate council to allow me to hire legal counsel to represent me in this matter as all chief executive officers have this same right or have the court cover legal obligations," Mack continues.
The city's law director has said that because this is a personal matter the city's law department would not represent Mack. Mack has said as of now he is representing himself.
Jacobson did not respond to any other request the convicted mayor made in his letter.
In response to Mack's letter, Deputy Attorney General Steven Yomtov urged Jacobson to deny all of Mack's requests, arguing that it is imperative that the forfeiture proceedings continue on an accelerated basis so that an acting Mayor can be appointed to effectively administer the vital daily tasks of the office on behalf of the citizens of Trenton.
"An order of forfeiture of public office is not only clearly warranted, but a virtual certainty," Yomtov wrote.
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