City of Longview plans 'customer appreciation' events
Thursday, May 29, 2008 11:47 PM PDT
By Amy M.E. Fischer
Printable version
E-mail this articleIf you’ve ever dreamed of throwing a pie in the face of Longview’s mayor or city manager, you won’t want to miss the city’s “customer appreciation” events that begin this weekend and run throughout June.
Participants in the two-week “Passport to Longview Treasure Hunt” will receive a ticket for the “pie in the face” drawing. They can get an extra ticket if they fill out a customer service survey regarding their experiences with the city. The winner of the drawing will plant gooey pastry all over Mayor Kurt Anagnostou’s mug, while the runner-up’s target will be City Manager Bob Gregory.
“They’re both being very good sports about this. ... There was just a little bit of arm twisting,” said city spokeswoman Susie Meyers, giving credit to City Attorney Marilyn Nitteberg-Haan for cooking up the idea.
The pie throwing will take place at a free ice cream social from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, outside the Longview Public Library. Afterward, the winner gets to bang the gavel to open the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. that day.
The city will begin distributing passports at Saturday’s customer-appreciation open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at City Hall. Citizens also may pick up “passports” at any city facility.
Here’s how “Passport to Longview” works. At every city facility or city department participants visit during business hours or during Saturday’s open house, an employee will stamp their passport. Participants need to collect stamps from at least seven of the city’s nine facilities to receive a “pie in the face” ticket, Meyers said. Completed passports must be turned in to a city office by 5 p.m. June 13. Children who participate must be accompanied by an adult.
“A lot of people just plain aren’t aware of what the city does and provides for them,” Meyers said, explaining the reason for the passport game. “We just want to give them a chance to see up close and personal what those programs and services are.”
In addition to City Hall, the facilities include city police and fire departments, the library, parks and recreation office, Mint Valley Golf Course, Mint Valley Racquet Club, the sewer plant, the bus transit center.
Saturday’s open house features free cake and refreshments and the opportunity to meet Parks and Recreation mascot Kaptain KaBoom and her sidekick, Boomer. Visitors can tour the building, learn about city services and pick up small giveaways, such as little fire department badges, in every department. This is your chance to sit in a city police car, fire truck, Waste Control truck and sewer-cleaning truck.
Customer surveys about city of Longview services may be completed online at www.mylongview.com. You may also pick one up at any city office or call 442-5004 to request a survey.
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