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Roxann Cotroneo stood at the podium at Port Arthur City Hall, a smile across her face as she greeted council members as the newly hired city attorney Tuesday.

She offered thanks to God for the opportunity to serve the most “blessed, beautiful people who are part of this energetic city.”

“Thank you mayor. Thank you council members. I will work very hard for you,” Cotroneo said.

Cotroneo brings with her her husband David who is a surgical first assistant, she said.

Cotroneo was one of four people interviewed for the position of city attorney.

Cotroneo has 29 years of municipal law experience and is currently with the Law Office of Roxann Pais Cotroneo where she is legal counsel for various cities, including their officials and employees, since 2013, according to information from the city.

Prior to this, she was the city attorney for the City of Harlingen, the executive assistant city attorney – special projects for the City of Dallas, the special assistant United States Attorney, Project Safe Neighborhoods and Anti-Gang Crime Initiative, and executive assistant city attorney – chief of community prosecution and community courts for the City of Dallas.

Cotroneo has a Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio and a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin.

She completed the 32nd Program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, MA. She was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1995 and is a certified instructor with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.

The previous city attorney, Valecia Tizeno, retired from her position on March 1.

Veteran attorney James Black has been serving as interim attorney.