The Edmond City Council fired city attorney Madeline Sawyer in a 3-2 vote Monday, Nov. 9, ending a six-week employment saga the council has yet to publicly explain.

The vote came after an executive session that lasted more than an hour, according to NonDoc Media. Ward 1 Councilwoman Maggie Murdock Nichols and Ward 2 Councilman Barry Moore cast the two opposing votes.

Sawyer was not at the meeting.

According to information provided by the City of Edmond, Sawyer will receive $46,699.60 in severance, $70,468.47 in transition benefits and $27,104 for unused sick leave, Fox 25 reported. The severance and offered additional benefits total $144,272.07.

An eight-page transition benefits letter included in the Nov. 9 agenda packet gave Sawyer until Friday to sign and accept the deal, NonDoc reported. The letter included a clause requiring Sawyer to waive her right to bring litigation against the city. It also proposed that Sawyer not publish "critical or disparaging statements" without first filing reports with the city.

The letter was originally set to be returned to Mayor Mark Nash, but the council amended it Monday to direct it to outside legal counsel instead, according to NonDoc.

No public explanation

Council members declined to answer questions after the meeting about why they chose to terminate Sawyer, NonDoc reported. Nash called it "a personnel matter," according to NonDoc's account.

The council first placed Sawyer on paid administrative leave Sept. 28 in a 4-1 vote. Officials did not disclose a reason at the time.

The move came about two weeks after Sawyer dismissed a public intoxication charge against Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak. Sawyer wrote in a Sept. 16 notice of dismissal that Lepak was "verifiably engaged in services more appropriate than those provided through the court," according to NonDoc's earlier reporting.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation told NonDoc that Sawyer's dismissal of the Lepak charge was not the catalyst for the council's action. The actual reasons have not been made public.

'Toxic' culture allegation

In coverage published in October, Sawyer said in a statement that the culture at Edmond City Hall "seems toxic," adding that it "prioritizes expediency and personal agenda of a few over needs of the citizens of Edmond." She also said she had not been given a reason for the employment review, according to NonDoc's October reporting.

City spokeswoman Mariah Carter said at the time that officials had no comment on Sawyer's statement, NonDoc reported.

People familiar with the situation told NonDoc that a series of smaller tensions accumulated over time. Sawyer chose to keep her office in the old City Hall rather than move into the new Edmond City Center with other staff in August 2025. She also drew attention for a late-2024 incident in which she confronted a middle school student, leading Edmond Public Schools to ban her from certain events, NonDoc reported.

What comes next

The council elevated Laura McDevitt to interim city attorney. McDevitt, who works at the firm Williams, Box, Forshee & Bullard, had served as acting city attorney since Oct. 12. Council members voted to retain her at half-time for four to six months at a total cost of $120,000 and authorized a search for a permanent hire, according to NonDoc.

Murdock Nichols, who opposed the termination, thanked Sawyer from the dais. "I would be remiss to not thank someone for her service and sacrifice," she said, according to NonDoc. "I appreciate her. I appreciate her family."