And one person to license them all

I work quite a lot with the city with permitting and licensing stuff and have had many interactions with Patty Malone. I've always found her to be very nice, patient, and helpful. Also, she has always returned calls or actually answered the phone when I've called that specific office (which is definitely not the case with other offices at City Hall). Has that not been your experience/other people's experience? I'm just surprised by this response.

I have done about a dozen events that required licenses from Patty Malone's office. Of all the offices I had to work with in city hall, hers was one of the more helpful and professional outfits. No screaming matches, knowledgeable staff, helpful, and most importantly consistent - once I knew what I needed to bring with me to get my license and when it needed to be there it was always relatively easy to get in and out.

Not that streamlining the process and getting it down to one permitting office instead of two isn't a good idea. But there's no need to vilify Patty. She did a good job in a less than great situation.