CAIRO, Ga. — Grady County commissioner LaFaye Copeland said she’s open to bringing back former county attorney Kevin Cauley as the commission begins its search for new legal representation.

Cauley had previously served as the county’s attorney for a decade before being removed in favor of Hall, Booth, Smith P.C.

“I’m willing to talk to Kevin because I didn’t give him a fair shake,” Copeland said. “I really didn’t. My vote would have not been to let him go had I knew what I know now.”

Copeland publicly announced her willingness to bring back Cauley in a statement at the Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting last week.

Copeland was a deciding vote in the 3-2 January decision to let Cauley go, along with fellow commissioners June Knight and chairman Ray Prince.

Commissioners Keith Moye and T.D. David voted in favor of keeping Cauley.

“If I had to do that vote all over again, I would have voted to keep him here,” Copeland said.

The commission voted along the same 3-2 line to approve Hall, Booth, Smith last year.

Copeland said she was ill throughout 2017, which led to her taking a smaller role in her work on the commission.

“I didn’t get a chance to do my homework,” Copeland said. “I was listening to others giving their opinion about different things when I made that decision. I voted to go on with HBS because of what I thought that they could bring to the table.”

Commissioners cited dissatisfaction with costs associated with Hall, Booth, Smith earlier in the month.

County Administrator Buddy Johnson said the Atlanta-based law firm’s billing system can rack up fees as large as $400 per hour.

Copeland said she believed Cauley deserved a second chance as county attorney.

“I want the board to think about it,” Copeland said. “I know sometimes you don’t like to go back, but sometimes when you go back it’s not always bad.”