City plans farewell reception for Finnie

Finnie, who began serving as city manager in April 1990, will be honored 4–5:30 p.m. tomorrow at Jordan Valley Park. Mayor Tom Carlson will make a short presentation at about 4:15 p.m., and light refreshments will be served.

The event is part of Tom Finnie Day, which was declared by Springfield City Council at its April 17 meeting.

Free parking is available at the Jordan Valley Ice Park; the reception will be held on the promenade across from Jordan Valley Car Park. In the event that it rains, the reception will move indoors to the Ice Park, according to a city news release.

Deputy City Manager Bob Cumley is to take his oath as city manager during a public ceremony at 1:15 p.m. April 25 in the lobby of the Busch Building.

Also its meeting this week, City Council changed the name of the city government plaza, now called the Thomas W. Finnie Government Plaza.

Finnie is most known for his influence on Springfield’s downtown revitalization and the citizen-directed planning initiative, Vision 20/20. He also has played major roles in developments such as Jordan Valley Park, Jordan Valley Innovation Center and Hammons Field.