‘Everyone Did Their Part to Ensure the Town Hall Ran Smoothly’

The fifth virtual West Haven Town Hall was held on Wednesday, July 21, and it was hosted by the University’s Mayor’s Advisory Commission (MAC). MAC strives to advocate the relationship between the University and the city of West Haven by hosting events such as these, and it has been hosting programs since 2015.

During this most recent town hall, I served as one of the editors, along with Christyllis Douglas ’24, and we were responsible for making sure the questions submitted from viewers were appropriate to ask West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi, and that they were grammatically correct so that Killian Gruber ’22, the host of the event, could read them.

This was the second time I had helped with a town hall and the second time I had the role of editor. There were definitely fewer nerves this time around, since I knew what to expect for this town hall.

The town hall was a good way for the citizens of West Haven to interact with the Mayor and voice their questions and concerns to her, and for her to answer their questions and respond directly to their concerns. It was great seeing all these interactions because you typically don't see this type of event.

From the two town halls I’ve been involved with, I’ve realized it truly is a team effort to run these events as effectively as possible. In order for the event to go well, everyone must do their role, and on Wednesday, everyone did their part to ensure the town hall ran smoothly.

The moderator of the event, Killian Gruber ’22, did an outstanding job organizing it and interacting with the Mayor and all of the residents who asked questions. MAC’s adviser, Chris Haynes, Ph.D., did a great job setting up the event and getting everyone together for it.

The next West Haven Town Hall that MAC will host will be held on September 29, and I will be moderating it, so make sure to tune in!

Andrew Colford ’22 is an international affairs major at the University of New Haven.