After just over two months of squabbling and arguing, the town of Tyrone finally has a new attorney.

During last week's council meeting, the town council approved Newnan attorney Brad Sears as the new attorney replacing John Mrosek.

The vote to appoint Sears came after Councilman Ronnie Cannon offered a compromise late last month to break the power struggle between Mayor Richard Santiago and three members of the town council.

Cannon proposed appointing Sears until Jan. 6, 1999 when the new town council takes office and can make their own decision on the town's attorney.

The battle over the attorney has featured everything from quoting parts of the charter to debating attorney's qualifications.

Without an attorney, the town's planning commission has deferred many matters to the town council and openly complained about the lack of an attorney to offer legal opinions on touchy questions.

City Manager Barry Amos confirmed that Sears started working for the town last Friday and started helping the town with legal issues. Sears contract with the city call for a $90 an hour rate.

Since the town did not appoint a solicitor, State Court Solicitor Steve Harris will help the town in that capacity.

In other news from the town, only three residents qualified for the three open posts in this year's municipal elections.

Former Tyrone recreation director Sheryl Lee will be the city's new mayor in January, while Ronnie Cannon retains his Post 1 council seat and planning commissioner Paul Letourneau replaces Bill Stone in the Post 2 seat.

The only issue Tyrone voters will decide in November concerns the form of government they have. Amos said the town currently has a hybrid form of government that delegates certain powers to the mayor, council and city manager.

Voters will decide if they look the current form or wish to change to a council-manager government.

Under the council-manager form of government, the city manager administers the daily affairs of the city, while the mayor and council set governmental policy and supervise the city manager.

The council does have complete appointment and removal power of the city manager and supporters of this form of government say politics are removed from the administration of the government.

Detractors worry that so much power is centralized in somebody who's not elected by the people.