James J. Finley, Jr. is the president and founder of Finley Government Strategies [FGS].  He has OVER 40 years of unparalleled experience in advocacy and public policy development and analysis.  He has an expert  understanding of the operations and players in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.  Jim has expertise in a wide range of public policy issues including education, municipal and school finance, intergovernmental relations, land use, labor relations, and municipal law.  

He has extensive experience in government relations, media relations, messaging and association management.  Jim spent over 34 years with the CT Conference of Municipalities [CCM].  He started in an entry-level professional position and worked his way up  through the ranks.

The long-time chief lobbyist for CCM, Jim has served on numerous state study commissions and task forces.  He was also president of the CT Public Employers Labor Relations Association [ConnPELRA] and a founding member and on the executive teams/steering committees of 1000 Friends of CT,  the CT Regional Institute for the 21st Century, and the CT Coalition for Justice in Education Funding [CCJEF].  Jim is also a guest lecturer at Yale Law School.

Jim spent over 34 years with CCM and retired in 2014 after seven years as Executive Director & CEO. He founded Finley Government Strategies [FGS] in March of 2014.

Jim is the principal consultant for the CT Coalition for Justice in Education Funding [CCJEF].  He served as an expert witness on behalf of the plaintiffs in the historic CCJEF v. Rell education adequacy and equity case.