The Salisbury City Council decided not to hire the law firm of Cockey, Brennan and Maloney last night.
There were two no votes and one abstention.
The abstention came from R. Hardy Rudasill who has just come on the council to replace Laura Mitchell.
He said that he had a conflict of interest since he worked for the firm.
Council members Jim Ireton and April Jackson rejected the law firm while Jack Heath and Muir Boda voted yes.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that Robin Cockey represented the City Council from 1986 to 1994.
The paper reports that the council was to go into a closed session to discuss the issue.
The city has allocated $270-thousand for its legal services.
