Queen Creek Council hires first town attorney

The town attorney for Florence has become Queen Creek’s first official town attorney.

The Queen Creek Town Council voted 6-0 Sept. 3 to approve the appointment of — and the agreement to employ — Clifford Mattice as the town attorney as part of the council’s consent agenda in which all items are voted on with one motion and vote. Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley is taking a leave of absence to focus on her family.

Following the vote, Mattice thanked the council for hiring him to form and lead its new attorney’s office.

“It really shows a commitment to the growth of the town and I think it is a pivotal move — it’s not just an organizational change,” he said. “I am committed to creating a legal department that is collaborative in supporting your goals and the town’s goals, the strategies you have adopted and do this in a collaborative way but also efficiently and clearly.”

He graduated from Arizona State University’s law school before it became known as the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Mattice said.

“I’m really pleased to be here. When I started back those 30 years or so in law school I never expected to be in this position in Queen Creek, but I’m extremely pleased to be here and help serve you. I look forward to working with all of you, our executive team, (Town Manager) Bruce (Gardner) and the residents to keep us on track and continue to grow the town as it’s done,” he said.

Mattice, who graduated from Arizona State University in 1993, signed to a three-year contract at a salary of $230,000 a year, effective Oct. 6. Under the Queen Creek town code, the town attorney serves at the pleasure of the council.

He formerly worked for Dickinson Wright and was hired by the town of Florence in July 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The new town attorney’s office is budgeted at $1.1 million. Along with the town attorney, the office will have two assistant town attorneys and a legal assistant.

The creation of a town attorney’s office was included in the $627.7 million 2025-26 fiscal year budget passed in May.

“As the town has grown, it has regularly evaluated contracted services. This year, the town council has made the strategic decision to transition to an in-house town attorney’s office due to the town’s continued growth, increasing complexity of operations and evolving service needs,” according to a council staff report.

Since incorporation in 1989, Queen Creek has had a contractual relationship with Dickinson Wright, which is providing “access to a wide range of legal expertise, including utilities, personnel, zoning, constitutional law and development agreements,” according to the report.

Scott Holcomb of Dickinson Wright most recently has been handling the town attorney duties for Queen Creek.

“Once the new town attorney is appointed, they will collaborate with Dickinson Wright to modify the existing contract as necessary and begin recruiting for additional staff for the in-house legal team,” the report continued.

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