Ventura finalized a deal late Wednesday with its top pick for city attorney, but an unresolved legal dispute and his hefty contract apparently cost him a vote.

The City Council voted 6-1 at a special Wednesday meeting to hire lawyer Ariel P. Calonne to replace Bob Boehm, who retired last month.

Calonne, the top attorney in Boulder, Colo., since 2003 and former city attorney of Palo Alto, will join the city in August and become the city's highest paid employee with benefits that boost his compensation over $200,000, a city first.

City Councilman Jim Monahan, the council's ranking member who has served seven consecutive terms, cast the lone dissenting vote without explanation.

In an interview this morning, Monahan said he respected Calonne, but his contract, coupled with the charges and what he described as a "lack of remorse" led to his decision.

"I didn't hear any remorse that he had felt he had done something wrong," said Monahan, who has not spoken directly with Calonne. The council was scheduled to consider his contract Monday, but delayed the matter to discuss the candidate in a closed-door meeting before Wednesday's vote. "My concern is for the employees in the City Attorney's office," Monahan said. "I want to be sure he comes in with a level head and respect to our current employees."

Calonne, 48, was ticketed last month by police in Boulder for misdemeanor harassment and criminal mischief after an early morning dispute with a neighbor. He got in a verbal exchange with a female neighbor after his leashed dog walked on her property. The woman told police he threatened her and kicked two sprinkler heads. Calonne has denied any wrongdoing in the incident and expects to be cleared of any criminal charges.

The city attorney is hired by and serves at the will of the council. The only other position directly hired and fired by the council is City Manager Rick Cole.

Monahan also expressed concerns about Calonne's compensation package, the richest in city history, though comparable to deals held by the top lawyers in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard.

Calonne will be paid a base salary of $192,000 a year. The city also will contribute $12,000 annually to a retirement account, and he's eligible for a 7 percent bonus, or $13,440, if he achieves performance goals. The city will provide a car allowance, cover his moving expenses and pay for up to five round-trip coach airfares between Denver and Los Angeles in his first six months, or until 10 days after he sells his Boulder house.

"He is going to cost the city a lot of money," Monahan said. "We are strapped for money to begin with, and this is going to cause a chain reaction to all city employees wanting more."

Calonne worked in Ventura as an assistant city attorney early in his legal career. He is a graduate of the University of California's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He was the top attorney in Palo Alto for 13 years before going to Boulder. In 2003, Calonne was honored as "California Public Lawyer of the Year" by the State Bar of California.