Final Cowlitz Civil Dialogue Project Debate—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

Last night it was the final Cowlitz Civil Dialogue Project Debate on KLTV, featuring just one candidate for the Longview City Council Position #6, Oliver Black. The moderators say they asked his opponent, Chris Bryant, multiple times to participate, but he declined all the invitations for an unspecified reason.

Black was questioned on a range of issues, from the city’s budget crisis and leadership changes to public safety and park maintenance. Black, a history and civics teacher, started by talking about his local roots and commitment as a father of five to why he’s running to make Longview a place “families want to live and businesses want to locate.”

He criticized the current majority on the council’s decision to fire City Manager Chris Swanson in 2023, arguing it destabilized the city and cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

On council divisiveness, Black criticized recent attempts to inject national politics into local government, such as the proposed Charlie Kirk street renaming and the water fluoridation debate. He said he would rather see the focus be on “the boring things,” like infrastructure, public safety, and quality of life.

On property taxes, Black supported taking the 1% annual increase allowed by state law; he said it amounts to roughly $2.74 per resident per year and helps preserve essential services. He also backed legislative efforts to loosen state restrictions, saying, “Current caps limit our ability to fund the city.”

When talking about homelessness and Hope Village, Black said the shelter and the police Behavioral Health Unit did a great job of reducing issues in city parks. He supports the current pause on Hope Village but said he would support bringing it back if needed.

When asked about his opponent, Black questioned why Bryant refused to come to the debate. He argued it showed a lack of transparency to voters and that it suggested Bryant might not be active in public engagement if elected.