LEWISTON — Councilors need to defer to city administration when it comes to managing and supervising city staff, according to an opinion from the city attorney released Friday afternoon.

The three page opinion, written by city attorney Martin Eisenstein and dated May 14, lists council responsibilities and rights concerning their jobs as elected officials, specifically relating to their authority.

According to Eisenstein’s opinion, the charter “provides that the mayor and members of the council shall deal with the administrative servcice solely through the adminstrator” and that neithor councilors nor the mayor can give orders to “subordinates of the adminstrator.”

Councilors met in executive session Tuesday to discuss their roles and responsibilities as elected officials. The meeting came in the wake of one city councilor, Denis Theriault, attending a staff meeting uninvited and without warning. City Administrator Jim Bennett approached Theriault after the meeting and said it was inappropriate and intimidating for Theriault to be there. Theriault has said he supports buying out the remaining two years of Bennett’s $110,000 employment contract.

Theriault declined to comment on the opinion.

“I know it’s out there for public digestion,” Theriault said. “I’ve read it, and I have nothing to say right now.”