Andy Mack

Mayor Andy Mack commended the efforts Wednesday of business leaders, health care providers, community organizations and Longview residents who banded together during the tumultuous year that has been 2020.

“Locally, we must continue to find ways to pull us together with unity and respect for the intrinsic and equal value we each hold. We may not always agree on how to get there, but let’s start by acknowledging where we seek common ground,” Mack said. “It is so important to love each other regardless if you disagree at times. For me, as mayor, that begins with making our community better across the board, across the council districts, across the arbitrary boundaries of north, south, east or west Longview.”

Mack gave his sixth annual State of the City address Wednesday. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Mack’s speech was presented virtually by the Longview Chamber of Commerce as a webinar. Mack began his address by acknowledging the present circumstances, saying he wished COVID-19 had not made phrases such as “social distancing” and “virtual meeting” so commonplace in society.

“Like all of us, I wish the difficulties of this past year had not occurred,” the mayor said. “It was a year of health difficulties and economic hardships, underscored by political divisiveness. Yet it was also a year in which the strength of the City of Longview and our community was on display.”

The year started with “optimism and excitement” Mack said, as the Go-Giver Gala raised more than $200,000 toward improvements on U.S. 80 and at Teague Park. Meanwhile, the Junior League of Longview hosted the Sesquicentennial Ball, one of many events planned to commemorate Longview’s 150th anniversary.

Other planned events for the sesquicentennial celebration have been canceled or postponed to 2021 because, by spring, cases of the novel coronavirus had appeared in Gregg County. Mack recalled the county experiencing its first known case March 9, coinciding with spring break.

On March 24, with one confirmed case, Mack and County Judge Bill Stoudt issued a voluntary shelter-in-place order that would become mandatory if cases increased. A few days later, that order became mandatory as more confirmed cases were reported.

“I truly believe this early prevention measure was important to slow the spread of the virus in our community and saved countless lives,” Mack said Wednesday.

By March 31, Gov. Greg Abbott had issued orders closing schools and implementing statewide restrictions. At the end of March, there were six COVID-19 cases in Longview. On May 2, the city experienced its first death attributed to the coronavirus. Cases grewm and by the end of October, Longview had recorded more than 2,700 cases and 37 deaths, Mack said.

Those cases have largely been funneled through local hospitals. Longview Regional Medical Center and Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center have a combined total of 615 beds and 50 ventilators available, Mack said. About 10% to 15% of those beds were occupied with COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday, the mayor said.

“To put that in perspective, the state requires that we maintain at least 25% occupancy or capacity for COVID patients at all times,” he said.

The mayor commended the efforts of health care workers and said the city continues to encourage residents to follow the governor’s orders and practice social distancing, avoid large groups, wear face masks and wash hands regularly to curb spread of the virus.

Along with the virus and restrictions, the unemployment rate increased. In February, the Longview unemployment rate was near a “historic low” at 4.1% but by May, it had risen to 12.2%, Mack said. As of September, the unemployment rate was at 9%, reflecting that some individuals have returned to work.

“Those aren’t just numbers. Those are real lives and families that have experienced the economic stress in their homes,” Mack said. “Yet, I am thankful that our local economy wasn’t impacted as drastically as other portions of the country and now it appears to have rebounded to a degree.”

Many businesses experienced a loss throughout the year, with some shuttering and most others being forced to adapt.

Just as businesses and schools adapted to hardships, so did the city of Longview itself. Mack said the city is facing a $4 million loss of revenue to its general fund this year. The city primarily draws funding from property taxes, sales taxes and fees for services.

The city took steps to cut expenses including implementing a hiring freeze for all non-public safety positions and pausing some projects.

“As a city government, we have so far been able to weather the storm because we continue to take steps to reduce our expenditures, and we have sufficient reserves to be able to cover losses in the near term in case recovery is slower than anticipated,” Mack said.

Some projects, however, remained ongoing. For example, many projects that Longview voters approved in a 2018 bond election saw traction in 2020. The City Council recently approved construction of a new police department, renovations are underway at Longview Fire Station No. 5 and many parks are getting upgrades. Additionally, work remains ongoing on the Guthrie Trail extension which, when completed, will connect the Cargill Long Park Trail to the Paul G. Boorman Trail. A new skatepark under construction at Ingram Park also is slated to open soon.

Mack said he was also impressed by how the community adapted with drive-thru experiences becoming “the hallmark of our community continuing to come together in the midst of hardships.” A Hooray for Heroes drive-thru parade recognized Longview public safety workers. Meanwhile, the community has had drive-thru concerts, movies and even a haunted car wash this year.

While the community came together throughout the pandemic, the year was not without some political divisiveness. National events, such as George Floyd’s death, prompted protests in the city and spurred conversations between the community and police department. Mack commended Longview Police Chief Mike Bishop for speaking with protesters and engaging in conversations with such groups as the Unity and Diversity Committee and the local NAACP.

“We must continually be willing to self-evaluate what we are doing as a community and as a government and seek to build bridges to conversations, relationships and actions,” Mack said.