Suffolk News-Herald

Suffolk Mayor Bobby L. Ralph is scaling back his office hours to accommodate other city obligations.

Since assuming office July 1, Ralph has had daily office hours to meet with residents with concerns or questions over city issues. Effective next week, his hours are changing to 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Suffolk City Hall, 441 Market St., Suite 249.

&uot;Now that I’ve been in office for a couple of months, I see how my (city-affiliated) meetings are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,&uot; Ralph said. &uot;We’re making the change to reflect that schedule.&uot;

Ralph – the city’s first mayor to hold open-door office hours in city hall on a regular basis – says office hours are proving to be popular.

&uot;It’s going pretty well,&uot; Ralph said.

Typically, he said, he sees three or four people a day. One day last week, he met with 10 residents.

The hot topic appears to be land-use issues, he said.

A couple of developers have come in with site plans, trying to get a feel on the city council’s thoughts for projects, Ralph said.

He’s also talked with several citizens with questions about their conditional-use permit applications.

People wanting to meet with Ralph can call 923-2023 to make appointments.