Kannapolis City Attorney Walter M. (Wally) Safrit, II has announced his retirement effective later this year after serving the City for 41 years. W. Andrew Kelly has been appointed the City’s new attorney. Wally will assist Andrew in acclimating to his new role until Wally retires in August.
Wally has served as the City of Kannapolis’ one and only attorney. Kannapolis was established as a company (Cannon Mills) town in the early 1900’s but it was not incorporated as a City until 1984. In the 1980s as leaders met to explore incorporation, Wally was in private practice with the law firm of Rutledge, Friday, Safrit and Smith. He assisted the first elected City Council and was officially appointed the first City Attorney in February 1985. He continued with his private practice and serving the City until 2011 when he joined the City as its first full-time in-house attorney.
“Wally will be greatly missed. His institutional knowledge of every legal agreement and contract, the City’s history, and his relationships with residents and staff have made him an integral part of our organization. We also welcome Andrew to the City and are excited about his addition to the Kannapolis team. We look forward to celebrating Wally’s career with us later this year,” said Kannapolis Mayor Darrell Hinnant.
Andrew will begin his employment with the City in mid-February. He is currently serving as a Senior Assistant City Attorney with the City of Charlotte where his focus is on real estate and economic development matters city-wide. While working for the City of Charlotte he has been one of the lead attorneys working on the City’s agreements with the Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Panthers, and the revitalization of Eastland Mall, collectively representing more than $1 billion of economic development investment.
A native of Winston-Salem, Andrew graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.A. in political science and received his juris doctor from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law with a concentration in intellectual property.
Andrew began his career in San Francisco where he worked in entertainment law and remains licensed to practice law in California. He returned to North Carolina to begin his municipal law career at John G. Wolfe, III & Associates in Kernersville, where he worked in private practice which included a variety of matters including contracted legal support for the Town of Kernersville. He served as an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Greensboro before joining the City of Charlotte. Andrew is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the Mecklenburg County Bar Association and a Fellow of the International Municipal Lawyers Association. He and his wife have one son.