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From the city charter (8-4 Law Department):

“The city solicitor shall be attorney for the city and legal advisor of the council if requested, and of all officers, departments and agencies . . . . The city solicitor will have the authority to appoint additional assistant solicitors as needed, or engage a law firm to perform the legal services for the city . . . . All legal opinions furnished to the council and to all city officers, departments and agencies, shall be in writing and filed with the city clerk . . . ” (for complete text see: https://www.warwickri.gov/city-council-legislative-department/pages/warwick-city-charter)

The big question Mr. Bliss should be answering is, just what does he think the job of city solicitor is. We can get some idea by looking at his five statements, as quoted by the Beacon:

“He’s looking at implementing a new paradigm in labor relations”

“Management rights almost don’t exist”

“I see the city taking some of the power back”

“It needs to take back some of that entrepreneurial control”

“Mayor Solomon has a fantastic team in place”

Except for one statement, all of this constitutes a form of public advocating or pandering, nothing to do with a law department. The one exception is “Management rights almost don’t exist”, which needs to be put in writing to fully qualify as a legal opinion, but also appears to throw the city under the bus. This is because he was the same person the Beacon says was ”hammering” (drafting?) a “tentative agreement” with the firefighters union (I assume this is it: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s4Gxv6Ac0RJxeTQ-Q-Naqwa2fdEbw_Mu ). This agreement has a “Management Rights” section, which essentially recognizes and grandfathers-in unspecified “duly established past practice”. But “duly established past practice” is why “Management rights almost don’t exist”. The two statements oppose each other, yet they essentially come from the same person. This is another big question that needs to be answered.