It’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed since last spring when I noticed those curious black birds in the cherry blossom tree in front of my office window at city hall. The birds have found their way back to the pink blossom tree, which has now attracted sweet honey bees. Springtime has arrived.
Nearly three months into my second term of serving as Longview’s 23rd Mayor, we have already seen so many changes. Councilmember Schott’s vacant seat has been filled by Christopher Ortiz with a unanimous council vote. We look forward to getting to know Councilmember Ortiz and the new voice and change he will bring to our council.
Change is the one constant wherever we look. Sometimes we resist change. I have found that the more seasoned I become, the more I learn to embrace change with new perspective and meaning. While recently at the coast, I thought of the changes we all face in our daily lives and how they sometimes parallel the variations of the seasons and scenery of the Pacific Northwest. Change can make the scenery sweeter depending on our perspective. Watching the ocean waves roll in towards the beach and then crash against the massive basalt rocks, and then press forward and back again, I was aware that with each rolling wave erosion naturally takes place; but leaves behind a most majestic view. The northwest definitely delivers beauty.
The future of Longview is also brimming with some changes and modifications to our current landscape! Special thanks to our State and Federal Legislators, Senator Wilson, Representatives Walsh and McEntire, 3rd Congressional District Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, and US Senator Maria Cantwell for helping Longview continue to change in positive ways. Join me in celebrating these remarkable blessings coming to our community in 2022!
Complete streets on 46th Avenue, Washington Way, and California Way.
- Upgrades at Lake Sacajawea Park: new reconstructed restroom and sidewalk resurfacing at Hemlock Plaza, and Martins Dock infrastructure support.
- Longview Police Station Satellite office building at Archie Anderson Park.
- New roof at the Senior Center on Commerce.
- Restroom facility at Vandercook Park.
- Secured Federal Omnibus Appropriation allocation of $292K for our Crisis Intervention Team.
Be well, be brave every day and embrace change,
Mayor MaryAlice Wallis