Two finalists have been named for the City of Bismarck’s City Attorney position.
Matthew Menge and Julie Mees will be interviewed next week to serve in the capacity of one of the City’s three appointed positions, along with the Administrator and Assistant Administrator. The interviews for City Attorney will be conducted by a panel of the Bismarck City Commission in the Tom Baker Room, in the bottom level of the City/County Building (221 N Fifth Street), on February 11 at 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM.
“The City Attorney truly is one of the most critical positions within the City organization,” said Mayor Michael Schmitz, who holds the Legal Department portfolio. “As we enter into agreements, sign contracts, make decisions and perform all of those duties that come with being a municipality serving the citizens of Bismarck, the position of City Attorney provides essential legal counsel and leads a department by example with integrity. We appreciate the dedication from our finalists, as well as the two other individuals who applied, but did not reach the finals, and look forward to selecting the next leader to serve our community.”
Menge currently works as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of North Dakota and has been in that position since April 2023. He has also served as a court-appointed mediator with the North Dakota Law Mediation Program, an Associate Attorney with Bormann, Myerchin, Espeseth & Edisson, LLP; Stebbins Mulloy, LLC; and Larson Latham, Huettl LLP and an attorney with Legacy Law Firm. Menge graduated from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, and then from the University of North Dakota School of Law.
Mees has worked for the City’s Legal Department since March 2021 as an Assistant City Attorney and has been Acting City Attorney since December, following the resignation of then-City Attorney Jannelle Combs. She has also worked in the Yellowstone County Attorney Office as a Senior Deputy County Attorney and a Victim/Witness Coordinator; as a Deputy Public Defender in the Office of the State Public Defender in Billings, Mont.; as a Law Clerk in the 13th Judicial District of Montana; and an Intelligence Research Specialist with the U.S. Secret Service. Mees is a graduate of The College of William and Mary in Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, as well as The George Washington University and the University of Montana School of Law.
Bismarck’s City Attorney is the director of its Legal Department. This department supports the statutory duties of the City Attorney and prosecutes ordinance violations, processes claims and insurance, as well as advises and represents all City elected and appointed officials, staff, boards and commissions on civil legal matters and the day-to-day operations of the municipal government. As an appointed official, the City Attorney is not granted the same civil service protections afforded to most other City staff. More information about the Legal Department is available online.