Edmond Council Votes 3-2 to Fire City Attorney

The termination follows Madeline Sawyer's dismissal of public intoxication charges against Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Criminal Justice

Edmond Council Votes 3-2 to Fire City Attorney

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The Edmond City Council voted 3-2 to terminate City Attorney Madeline Sawyer during Monday's meeting. Sawyer had been placed on paid administrative leave in September, one month after dismissing public intoxication charges against Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak.

Why it matters

The vote ends the tenure of a city attorney hired in 2024 and raises questions about how prosecutorial decisions involving state officials are handled at the local level. Residents of Edmond and across Oklahoma are watching how the city manages personnel decisions tied to the handling of cases.

The council's 3-2 vote ended Sawyer's employment, and the city will pay a $46,699.60 severance plus $70,468.47 in transition benefits and $27,104 for unused sick leave. The extraction does not indicate whether further legal or personnel action is planned.

The players

Madeline Sawyer

Madeline Sawyer served as the city attorney for Edmond, Oklahoma, after being hired in 2024, and was terminated by the city council in a 3-2 vote.

Benjamin Lepak

Benjamin Lepak is the Oklahoma Secretary of State, a statewide elected official whose public intoxication charges were dismissed by Sawyer.

Edmond City Council

The Edmond City Council is the governing body of the city of Edmond, Oklahoma, which voted to terminate the city attorney and approve her separation payments.

The details

The council placed Sawyer on paid administrative leave in September before taking the termination vote at Monday's meeting. The vote followed the August dismissal of public intoxication charges against Lepak, which the council has not publicly tied to the termination in the extraction.

Sawyer was hired as Edmond's city attorney in 2024.
In August 2026, Sawyer dismissed public intoxication charges against Benjamin Lepak.
In September 2026, the council placed Sawyer on paid administrative leave.
On November 10, 2026, the council voted 3-2 to terminate Sawyer.

Legal Context

City attorneys in Oklahoma serve as legal advisers and prosecutors for municipalities, and their charging decisions can draw scrutiny when they involve state officials. The Edmond termination places this local tension within the broader question of how city councils oversee prosecutorial discretion.

Edmond residents now have a new city attorney to appoint, and the city's legal office will need to handle pending matters during the transition. The city's financial obligations under the severance and transition agreement are fixed by the council's vote.

The takeaway

Local councils hold the authority to remove appointed legal officers, and the costs of such removals can include substantial payments. Readers following municipal governance should track how councils document their reasons for these decisions.