Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has picked a familiar insider to take on one of City Hall’s thornier headaches, naming Sam Steele as interim director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. Steele, a 26-year City of Seattle veteran who has spent much of his career inside the building department, will step into the top job next Wednesday. His marching orders are clear: cut permit review times and keep housing projects from stalling, as the city wrestles with fewer new housing starts and sluggish permit volumes.
Steele most recently led SDCI’s inspections division, capping a long run that started when Seattle Parks and Recreation hired him as a carpenter in 2000. In a message to employees, he wrote that he is “honored to step into the role” and urged…..