Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara gave her annual State of the City presentation Wednesday at the Infinity Event Center. She acknowledged that the event fell the day after Election Day, and that emotions might be running high. She asked the hundreds of people in the room to turn to a neighbor and say they loved them, regardless of how they voted.
Ishihara said the presentation also highlighted successes of the city and other local organizations. She said City Council members receive more complaints about the Development Services department than about any other city department. Development Services issues building permits and inspects construction projects. Residents have asked why the department is slow and have complained that some staff are not customer service friendly, she said.
Ishihara said Development Services Director Michael Shirley, who was in attendance, has worked for many years to move the department in the right direction. She said the city began an online portal last year.