An additional 7,500 attorneys act as bond counsel for municipalities, and hundreds, if not thousands, of other people are employed by cities as consultants on bond issues.

Peter White, the county's bond counsel, said it would be impossible to guess what it would do to the county's interest or insurance costs.

Railroad bonds and their legality were widely challenged; this gave rise to the market-wide demand that an opinion of qualified bond counsel accompany each new issue.

Mr. Race said the firm is not currently working as a bond counsel for the state.

That, he said, had been worked out months earlier with the town comptroller and the town's bond counsel.

They hired the best bond counsel in the state.

What was the responsibility of bond counsel?

"I spoke to our bond counsel earlier today," he said, "and was told that if we voted against the plan tonight, our bond rating would be pulled tomorrow."

Hawkins, Delafield & Wood were named bond counsel.

Potential underwriters are submitting proposals, but a Japanese bond counsel remains to be selected, he added.