This past Thursday saw Mayor Michelle Distler have her first
“Thursday With the Mayor” coffee. It is my understanding that
approximately 25 people attended this event.
When queried about this event because it was a daytime
meeting (9:00AM) the mayor said it was set up that way to make it easier for
senior citizens who don’t attend evening meetings to be able to attend.
She indicated that there will be other meetings set up at differing times so
that others could fit them into their schedules. This is something that
no other mayor has done, and should prove helpful in opening up lines of
communication between the citizenry and city hall. It was also mentioned
that the mayor has been meeting with other groups to obtain first hand
feedback on various items of interest. What is nice is that this is being
done now, not four years from now when the next election will be coming
around. So I’d guess it is not “an election year gimmick”. More info on the future plans for these events
can be found at this article on the Shawnee Dispatch web site
