LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) – The City of Longview has announced that City Attorney Jim Finley plans to retire at the end of February after 23 years. Finley is the longest serving tenured City Attorney in the history of Longview.

“I’ve greatly enjoyed serving Longview and seeing all the growth these past two decades,” Finley said. “I want to express my appreciation to all the mayors, city council members, and city staff members that I have had the pleasure of serving alongside.”

Finley served with five different mayors of Longview, 25 different city council members and many others over his 23 years in Longview. According to an announcement, Finley started his career as Assistant City Attorney for Wichita Falls in 1989. He went on to serve as City Attorney of Big Spring from 1996 to 1999 before getting hired for Longview in 2000.

“I was serving as the council member for District 4 when we first hired Jim Finley as City Attorney in 2000,” Longview Mayor Andy Mack said. “I can tell you that through his 23 years with the City, Jim has provided sage advice. He didn’t always give me the answer I wanted to hear, but he wasn’t afraid to tell me what I needed to know as mayor or city council member to best serve the interests of the City of Longview and this community. I am sure he did the same for all the other elected officials and staff that have worked with Jim.”  

The City Attorney serves as the legal advisor for City Council, who also appoints the position. They will begin the process of finding a new City Attorney on Feb. 9.