Sedgwick County commissioners have turned to a familiar face to help them navigate investigations by them and of them, hiring back the retired Mike Pepoon to take over as their top lawyer.
Pepoon, a former assistant county counselor and county lobbyist, will run the legal department in place of County Counselor Eric Yost.
Yost, a former district court judge, is on indefinite paid leave after a news conference two weeks ago, where he released a statement accusing commissioners of trying to commit illegal acts in their efforts to oust County Manager Michael Scholes.
Pepoon enters a difficult legal landscape at the county.
Three members of the commission have retained a lawyer to investigate county personnel practices with an eye toward firing Scholes, according to e-mails obtained by The Eagle and Yost’s statement.
Simultaneously, the FBI is investigating whether the move to oust Scholes is in violation of federal laws that protect government whistleblowers from retaliation by their bosses, according to county memos and interviews.
Yost is expected to leave the county’s employment one way or another, through either a negotiated settlement or the commission firing him.
The motion to hire Pepoon, by Commissioner David Unruh, said Pepoon will head the county legal department “until appropriate county counsel is chosen.”
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)