City Attorney Pete Holmes has replaced his public-information officer, former Seattle P-I city hall reporter Kathy Mulady, with another former P-I staffer, former editorial page editor Kimberly Mills. Seattlecrime.com has the scoop.

Mulady says she got the news a couple of weeks ago, but adds that she had an inkling that her appointment wouldn't be permanent earlier, in part because "they never even gave me business cards."

"Pete hadn't decided if he wanted a permanent [public-information officer], and then he decided that he did," Mulady says. "I had a really good time working there—the attorneys who work there on both the criminal and the civil side are really the greatest people." Mulady's finishing up a couple of projects for Holmes' office and looking for a new position.

Mills, who started her new job today, says Holmes was intrigued by her legal background; as a journalist, she got a one-year graduate degree in law from Yale as part of a fellowship program sponsored by the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain.

Holmes officially announced Mulady appointment as PIO in December—an announcement we called "the most exciting thing" about the city attorney's starting lineup—but she worked as a volunteer and later a staffer on his campaign for months prior to coming on board at the city attorney's office.

Holmes has not returned a call for comment to his cell phone.