CDA's leading legal eagle retiring

COEUR d’ALENE — As attorney for Coeur d’Alene, Mike Gridley represents the city in all legal matters.

That might not sound exciting.

But it is important.

For 20 years, he’s been an adviser to the mayor, City Council and staff. His input is sought on issues dealing with police, land use, growth and development and zoning, even debates over right of ways and water quality.

He’s the guy who keeps the city from getting sued.

“A lot of moving parts,” Gridley said.

Gridley expresses confidence that the city is well-run and has made great advances over those years. It's clean, friendly and without an overbearing big brother in government.

“That’s why people want to move here,” he said.

Under his legal eagle watch, a new public library was built. McEuen Park was created, as was Atlas Waterfront Park. The Kroc Center was finished. Railroads removed and the North Idaho Centennial Trail realigned.

For all that, Gridley credits stability in council and mayor, administrators and staff.

“A good outfit that I think most people don't really, fully appreciate,” he said.

“A lot of it wouldn’t have happened if the city and the urban renewal agency (ignitecda) hadn’t been a good, forward-thinking bunch,” he said.

The 66-year-old has quietly been instrumental in it all, keeping the city moving ahead without legal surprises and setbacks and lawsuits.

His time with the city ends Tuesday with his retirement.

“It's kind of hard to believe,” he said as he sat in his office at City Hall. “I’ve been a lawyer for 40 years and been here 20 years. I could work to keep working but I just decided it's time to do something else.”

Randy Adams, chief civil deputy city attorney, will move into Gridley’s role.

“It's a weird time because it's like going off on a journey into strange lands — when you retire you go off into unknown territory,” Gridley said.

Gridley went into law because he saw early “that lawyers were the people that could help others and to change the system. If there was to be positive change, lawyers had the ability to do that."

He graduated from Central College in Pella, Iowa, and from Notre Dame Law School.

He worked for law firms in Houston and as general counsel for a company before spending 11 years with Union Pacific Railroad.

He was visiting North Idaho in 2001, when he saw a job posting for assistant city attorney with the city of Coeur d’Alene. He interviewed for it and was told, “You're way overqualified for this job. You should apply for this city attorney job."

He did. He was hired.

Today, he oversees a legal staff of about 10.

While lawyers are often viewed as part of the problem, Gridley has tried to be part of the solution.

“My motto or my approach has been to try and say yes to whatever somebody is doing until we absolutely say, ‘No, you can't do that.’ And so I think, trying to help people get done what they want to do.”

He considers a key accomplishment in taking the lead on purchasing the railroad that ended up as the popular Prairie Trail.

He also led efforts on purchasing the railway that ran for decades along the Spokane River, which resulted in Atlas Waterfront Park and a planned unit development there.

It’s been a good run of which he is proud. He worked with three mayors: Sandi Bloem for 12 years, Steve Widmyer for eight, and today, Jim Hammond.

“The best part is probably working with elected officials and staff who really are trying to do good for the citizens,” he said.

And the hardest?

He pauses to find the right words. Then says, “dealing with some of the public lately. A lot of people that are misinformed about what the city does and how we do it and why we're doing it. And they get riled up.

“I think that a lot of it is based on misinformation that they hear on social media and get riled up and so that's been unfortunate,” he said.

Gridley views his job as being like that of a general doctor — looking after the city’s overall health and seeking input as needed to care for specialized fields, such as municipal bonds and environmental laws.

“There’s no way to be a specialist in all of them," he said. “But, you know, I pride myself on being able to evaluate risk and then figure out how to get the specialists that we need involved if we need somebody but I've just had the best, best deputy attorneys.”

In retirement, he'll have more time "to organize his sock drawer," he jokes.

While he's serious about enjoying his two passions, sailing and cycling, Gridley said leaving his role as the city’s attorney and being involved in high-level issues and decisions has been harder than expected.

"It is kind of emotional that it's gonna be the end,” he said.

But Gridley leaves feeling blessed.

"The people I worked for and the people that I have worked with, they're just the best,” he said.