Edmond City Attorney Madeline Sawyer Placed on Administrative Leave by City Council

Council members did not disclose the reason for the action. City spokesman Casey Moore stated that the council would not provide further comment beyond the motions filed. Sawyer also declined to comment on the evening of the vote.

Edmond City Council Vote and Acting Appointment

The decision occurred during a special meeting preceding the council’s regularly scheduled 5:30 p.m. session. According to NonDoc, the meeting lasted less than an hour and began with an executive session regarding Sawyer’s employment. Ward 2 Councilman Barry Moore invited Sawyer to join the council at 4:45 p.m. before the public vote.

Ward 4 Councilman Phil Fraim made the motion to place Sawyer on leave, which was seconded by Ward 3 Councilman Preston Watterson. Ward 1 Councilwoman Maggie Murdock Nichols cast the only opposing vote. Fraim then moved to appoint Taylor Clark as acting city attorney, a motion seconded by Moore and approved unanimously.

Clark joined the council members on the dais for the evening’s regular meeting with a nameplate already prepared, according to NonDoc.

Ben Lepak Case and Dismissal Controversy

The move follows recent scrutiny of Sawyer’s decision to dismiss a public intoxication charge against Oklahoma Secretary of State Ben Lepak. In a notice of dismissal filed Sept. 16, Sawyer wrote that the defendant was verifiably engaged in services more appropriate than those provided through the court and that dismissal was in the best interest of justice.

Lepak was arrested Aug. 14 outside an Edmond McDonald’s. A police report cited by KOKH Fox 25 noted that Lepak had extremely slurred speech and that officers smelled alcohol on his breath. Body-cam footage shows Lepak telling an officer, I work for the state, as he was placed in a patrol vehicle. This arrest was Lepak’s third alcohol-related encounter with police in five years, according to Oklahoma Voice.

A review of 305 public intoxication cases filed since September 2025 by KFOR found that of the 181 concluded cases, 76% ended in conviction. Only three defendants, including Lepak, paid the required fine and avoided both conviction and probation.

Despite the timing, multiple sources told NonDoc that the Lepak dismissal was not the catalyst for the council’s decision. Council members Maggie Murdock Nichols and Preston Watterson both told The Oklahoman that the review of Sawyer’s employment is not related to the Lepak case.

Madeline Sawyer’s Professional History in Edmond

Sawyer became the city attorney in 2024 after succeeding Stephen Murdock. She previously served as an assistant city attorney from 2021 to 2023 after graduating from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2020.

In 2025, Sawyer faced controversy following allegations that she threatened a middle school student at a basketball game. This incident led Edmond Public Schools to prohibit her attendance at specific events. However, the city council remained supportive at that time, and Sawyer received a pay increase later that year.

During a meeting on March 10, 2025, then-Ward 4 Councilwoman Stacie Peterson praised Sawyer’s performance.

You have done an amazing job. It’s been a tough year. You have acquired a wonderful staff, you have kept your dignity, you have worked so tirelessly for this city.

Stacie Peterson