The Â鶹AV Blog

‘Attending a Town Hall Forum is a Great Way to Learn More About What is Going on in One's Community’

As a member of the University’s Mayor’s Advisory Commission, I am helping to organize a virtual town hall with West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi, and I encourage members of the University community to attend.

January 19, 2021

By Christyllis Douglas ’24


Image of zoom call from a previous town hall meeting.
Christyllis Douglas (top left) worked with Chris Haynes, Ph.D., Samuel Weinmann (middle left), Catherine Tomczyk (middle right), Jada Mirabelle (bottom left), and MAC chair Killian Gruber (bottom right) to organize the town hall.

All members of the University of New Haven community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, are invited to join and West Haven residents for a virtual town hall forum that will take place on Wednesday, February 3, beginning at 6 p.m.

I’m organizing this event together with the Mayor’s Office and my fellow students Samuel Weinmann ’24, Jada Mirabelle ’24, Chris Fogarty ’21, and Catherine Tomczyk ’22 on behalf of the University’s Mayor’s Advisory Commission (MAC), which is a collaborative, student-driven task force. Founded in 2015, the MAC is dedicated to connecting the University and West Haven communities.

Image of Christyllis Douglas ’24.
Christyllis Douglas ’24.

I am excited to be a part of this event because I believe it is a great opportunity for community members to engage with Mayor Rossi and to ask questions. Town halls are an important aspect of our democracy in that they allow citizens to discuss issues affecting their community. Attending a town hall forum is a great way to learn more about what is going on in one's community.

Attendees will listen to the Mayor give an update about a variety of important topics, including the city government’s response to COVID-19. Afterward, the floor will be open for attendees to ask questions about the Mayor’s governance.

The event will take place over Zoom through Dr. Chris Haynes’s personal link.

If anyone is unable to attend the event, they are welcome to email questions to me beforehand at cdoug6@unh.newhaven.edu. They can also watch the event via Facebook Live on the .

All University community members are strongly encouraged to attend. I believe engaging with our elected officials is critical to maintaining a healthy relationship between the government and those they govern. It helps foster trust in the Rossi administration and West Haven government, while helping to educate people on the issues that affect Westies every day.

Christyllis Douglas ‘24 is a forensic psychology major at the University of New Haven.