James Flitz has served as the City Attorney since 1998 after many years of service as an Assistant City Attorney. Flitz received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1982. As City Attorney, Flitz provides legal services as directed by the City Council to the Council, the City Manager and the departments that report to him, as well as the boards and commissions appointed by the City Council such as the Board of Ethics, Airport Commission, and the Library Board of Trustees.
Over the past two years major projects for which the City Attorney’s Office has provided legal services include the casino project, CRST global headquarters, and the Westdale Mall renovation. In addition, the City Attorney’s office has been successful in representing the City’s interests in several major lawsuits, such as the federal lawsuit challenging the traffic cameras and several cases accusing police officers of misconduct. Another example of such litigation include a civil service appeal brought by fire department captain who had been terminated for violating medical protocol during an emergency response. The City Attorney’s office also successfully prosecutes numerous code violation matters to support other City Council goals.
