A Little Less Tech, A Little More Personal Attention

Some of the island’s leading builders and hospitality leaders came together on Thursday, November 2 for what the city described as a “Roundtable Discussion.” City Manager Michael McNees served as the moderator for the event, while city staff members listened intently to speakers detailing their experiences - good and the bad – when dealing with the city.

Council Chair Greg Folley welcomed those in attendance and thanked those city staff members for their involvement in what he referred to as a time to get input from all those in attendance, echoing the words of the City Manager.

When McNees opened the floor for input it was local builder and longtime resident Alex Parker who may have said it best when he said he was no fan of the permitting department “Portal”. He wasn’t the only one not fond of what someone would refer to as the “evil twin” to the loveable R2D2 robotic character from blockbuster hit Star Wars. McNees agreed with Parker, as he, too, thought the “personal touch” may have gone missing and that might be a portion of the problem.

Throughout the event, McNees sought to come back to the focus that he and the staff were there to listen to the topics that the audience saw as important to them. They would bring those items to the consultants that the city was hiring in an effort to improve the system.

“We came here today to listen, and we have heard you, and your words have not fallen on deaf ears,” McNees said after the meeting. Many of those in attendance stayed afterwards to speak to department heads as staff filtered out of the room.