Carmel Zahran will be the fourth city attorney in three years

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

The Ashland City Council has chosen current Assistant City Attorney Carmel Zahran to serve as permanent city attorney. 

During a special business meeting Friday afternoon, councilors took a moment to praise the former assistant city attorney as she prepares to accept her new role. 

“I look forward to working with her. I really appreciate her enthusiasm,” said Councilor Gina DuQuenne. 

“Our city attorney position has been in transition for a while now, I think this is a good step to make sure our city has the legal capacity it needs to continue serving the city of Ashland,” said Mayor Tonya Graham. 

The council voted unanimously to hire Zahran for the role. 

Zahran is a graduate of the University of Oregon law school and has been assistant city attorney for the city of Ashland for the last year, according to her Linkedin page. Her previous legal experience includes three years as Deputy District Attorney for the Jackson County District Attorney’s office and one year at the Center for Nonprofit Legal Services as Public Guardian for Jackson County, staff attorney.

The city of Ashland has had three people serving as city attorney in the last three years. After 10 years of service with the city, Dave Lohman retired effective July 1, 2021. Assistant City Attorney Katrina Brown stepped in first as interim, then permanent city attorney. She left July 14, 2022, to take a job with the state of Oregon.

Doug McGeary stepped in as acting assistant city attorney after Brown assumed the lead role in July 2021. A year later, in July 2022, he became interim city attorney on Brown’s departure, and has remained interim city attorney since.

Reached by text message, Graham stated the start date for Zahran’s employment will be determined in contract negotiations which will begin immediately. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].