The Edmond City Council voted 4-1 on Monday to place City Attorney Madeline Sawyer on paid administrative leave, following a closed-door executive session that lasted roughly 45 minutes. Council members appointed Assistant City Attorney Taylor Clark to temporarily step into the lead role, but they gave no public explanation for why Sawyer was sidelined.
According to The Oklahoman, the council met for about 45 minutes behind closed doors before returning to open session to cast the 4-1 vote. Edmond city officials said they could not explain the leave because it involved a personnel matter, and Sawyer herself declined to comment on the council's action. Clark, who was hired as an assistant city attorney in 2024, now temporarily holds the top legal post in the city.
No Answers From City Hall
Council members did not elaborate on the reason for the decision, according to NonDoc. Sawyer became city attorney in 2024 after serving as an assistant city attorney from 2021 through 2023, and her duties have included prosecuting cases on behalf of the city of Edmond.
The timing of the vote has drawn attention because Sawyer recently dismissed a public-intoxication charge against Oklahoma Secretary of State Ben Lepak. She filed the dismissal papers on Sept. 16 in Edmond Municipal Court, writing in the document that the defendant was verifiably engaged in services more appropriate than those provided through the court and that dismissal with costs was in the best interest of justice. But multiple sources told the same outlet that Sawyer's dismissal of Lepak's charge was not the catalyst that sparked Monday's decision.
The Lepak Arrest and Its Aftermath
Lepak was arrested for public intoxication outside an Edmond McDonald's shortly before 11 p.m. on Aug. 14, after police responded to a report that he appeared intoxicated. Lepak's office has said he was not given a breathalyzer test, which would have measured his blood alcohol level. The arrest marked Lepak's third alcohol-related arrest in five years; he has served as secretary of state since October and previously worked as an attorney for the governor's office, but his office commented after the arrest, and Lepak had no comment on the dismissal of his case.
His case was ultimately dismissed with costs and without a plea or probation, according to KFOR. That outcome stands out against the broader pattern in Edmond Municipal Court: among 305 public-intoxication cases filed since September of the previous year, 181 had concluded, with 76% ending in conviction and 24% dismissed. Of 98 people who paid the full $280 in fines and costs, 72 were convicted and 21 pleaded no contest and completed roughly six months of probation before their cases were dismissed. Only three people, including Lepak, walked away without a conviction or probation after paying the full amount.
What Remains Unclear
Despite the overlap in timing, the council's action against Sawyer has not been publicly tied to the Lepak dismissal by any city official. The council considered Sawyer's employment status in the closed-door executive session before the vote, and its 4-1 vote placed her on paid administrative leave pending further review; the substance of that discussion has not been made public.
