BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — The Opelika City Attorney Guy F. Gunter III is retiring in six weeks after serving his city for 50 years.
“I’ve been the city attorney for 50 years, going back to August of 1975, and of course, that means I’ve worked with a lot of mayors, council members, department heads and other employees, so it’s been a long journey,” he said.
Gunter graduated from law school at the University of Alabama in 1973 and moved back to his hometown of Opelika to work at the Melton, Gunner & Melton law firm, which represented the city of Opelika.
“The commissioners, at the time, asked me if I would assume the role of city attorney,” he said. “So in some respects, I guess I kind of inherited the role. I’ve continued to work as the city attorney. I was outside counsel up until 2013, then beginning in 2014, I worked as inside counsel for the city of Opelika.”
Through serving Opelika for over five decades, Gunter said he has enjoyed working with the fine people and city staff he has had the opportunity to meet.
“It has been a very rewarding experience,” he said. “I have kind of been in the center of everything that’s going on here in the city of Opelika for the last 50 years. I’ve worked with a lot of really fine people. All of the council members, the mayors and the staff people that I’ve worked with have really been encouraging, and they have been very fine people and very responsible in their work habits.”
Gunter said when he began working as the city attorney, the industry in Opelika looked much different than it does now, and he enjoyed watching Opelika grow and change over the years.
“When I came to work, the city was definitely a heavy industry kind of city,” he said. “We had a lot of industries like the textile mills, diversified products and Quantegy, that manufactured magnetic tape. Those industries went away, as they have across most of the country, but we’ve been very fortunate to be able to replace those industries with new businesses.”
As he watched Opelika change and adapt with the needs of industry, Gunter said he enjoyed working to improve his hometown and ensure it thrived in the transition.
“It’s a lot of fun to work with all the industries and businesses and all the people that really make up the city,” he said. “The city is nothing but a collection of people. So I guess the main thing is working with folks, working with people and trying to make your city better.”
As Opelika traded industry for businesses, it thrived. Gunter said he witnessed a doubling in population throughout his time serving the city.
“When I started back in 1975, the city had a population of about 18,000; now we’re in a little over 35,000, so the city has almost doubled in size,” he said. “When the city grows, you have to have a lot more things, like more schools, more parks and more highways, and the city attorney is involved in all of those types of projects.”
As he leaves his role as city attorney, Gunter said he hopes Opelika will continue to improve and grow, and he feels good about the incoming City Attorney.
“I hope things will improve and continue to improve,” he said. “I know there will be more challenges, but I think the city has outstanding leaders. I think Eddie Smith will do a great job as mayor. I think we have a fine group of elected council members who will be coming into office. I think my replacement is going to do a great job. One thing that Mayor Fuller should be commended on is really assembling a great staff. He has an outstanding group of individuals who serve the city as department heads and division managers.”
As he reflected on his life in Opelika, Gunter said he would not have it any other way; Opelika is his home.
“I grew up in Opelika,” he said. “Always had a lot of friends here, attended church. Still attend the same church I’ve always attended. The main thing is the people I’ve always enjoyed, the people in Opelika. I had some opportunities, I guess, to take jobs elsewhere, but I thought this was the best opportunity I would have. I knew I would have a good quality of life here in Opelika, which I have had, and so I don’t have any regrets whatsoever of coming back here.”
As he counts down his last six weeks until retirement, Gunter said he is looking forward to a change and spending more time with his family.
“It is a time to turn a new chapter and begin a new journey,” he said. “I’m looking forward to retirement. I think the city is in really good shape. I have a very good replacement, Robbie Treese. I feel certain he’s going to do an outstanding job for the city and bring some new energy and new expertise. And I’m looking forward to having more time with my family, reading, doing a little traveling and mostly being with family. So, I’m looking forward to retirement.”
