Finley takes oath as commissioner
Published 12:00 am Thursday, January 5, 2023
- LEFT: Ohio Supreme Court chief justice elect Sharon Kennedy administered the oath of office to Mike Finley as Lawrence County commissioner at a ceremony at Burlington Commons on Saturday. (Submitted photo) RIGHT: Mike Finley meets with guests after his swearing-in ceremony at Burlington Commons park on Saturday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)
Swearing in was held in Burlington on Saturday afternoon
BURLINGTON — The year ended with the county’s newest commissioner preparing to take his new job.
A swearing-in ceremony for Mike Finley took place on Saturday at Burlington Commons park.
Sharon Kennedy, who just won election as the chief justice for the Ohio Supreme Court was on hand to administer the oath to Finley, whose first meeting as commissioner will be Jan. 9.
“I was a elected to do a job for Lawrence County,” he said.
Finley, a Fayette Township trustee, won the Republican nomination in May 2022 over three-term incumbent Commissioner Freddie Hayes Jr. Finley was unopposed in the fall general election.
Finley said he has many priorities for the job, and specifically cited improving the county’s EMS services as one of them.
He paid tribute to several past officials, who reputation he said he wants to live up to, such as county commissioners George Patterson and Bill Pratt and South Point Mayor Bill Gaskin.
“These were all good men,” Finley said.
Finley will join incumbent commissioners DeAnna Holliday and Colton Copley on the body.