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Date: 5/8/2023
MONSON — The town will host “Community Conversations,” a series of informal meetings to start conversations between residents, business owners, town officials and Select Board members to provide information and get feedback on matters that are important to the community.
Town Administrator Jennifer Wolowicz said this was an idea she proposed to the Select Board last year “in an attempt to have informal conversations with residents and business owners to learn more about what types of issues are important to them.”
Wolowicz said she thinks these dialogues will bring clarity for people on important matters, and provide a sounding board so people feel heard.
“I believe these conversations can assist in providing additional information to residents on specific matters and also provide factual information rather than the old telephone game of ‘I heard this’ as the message changes drastically as it is shared,” Wolowicz said.
A Select Board member or department head will be at each meeting along with Wolowicz, and the goal is to have a different town official at each meeting, Wolowicz said.
Wolowicz is looking for community input on meeting topics, saying, “We will touch upon topics that are currently affecting the community as well as asking residents about topics that are of interest to them for a future meeting. We would encourage residents to contact me to suggest topics.”
The hope is that people will feel comfortable coming forward to speak at the meetings, feel they have a say in town government, and come away with a better understanding of how things work.
“This will provide another way of communicating with myself and the Select Board and we encourage residents to get involved and learn about how your local government works. It is beneficial for residents to become involved in the community and what better way than to have a conversation about what is important to you,” Wolowicz said.
The first meeting is on May 16 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Council on Aging, 106 Main St. Meeting information and scheduling can be found at monson-ma.gov.