How to be heard at a Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting

Seriously, do not be intimidated. If you live or work in our city, or are impacted by our city, you have a right to speak. And, frankly, we need to hear from you – our city works best when all stakeholders make their opinions known. Below is how the process works.

The meetings are held in the Aldermanic Chambers located on the 3rd floor of City Hall at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, except during the months of June, July, August and September, when the meetings are held only on the first Tuesday of the month. Video recordings of previous meetings may be viewed at Manchester Public Television channel 22. I recommend watching a meeting or two, or attending in person. It’s a good way to get comfortable with the proceedings.

At the meeting, here’s what happens…

1. All people wishing to speak must sign up with their name, address & topic, prior to meeting start at 7 p.m. I recommend getting to the meeting early to ensure you get a speaking slot.
2. The Mayor calls the meeting to order.
3. The Mayor recites the Pledge of Allegiance.
4. A moment of silence is observed.
5. The Clerk calls the roll to record which Aldermen are present.
6. After any special commendations, recognitions or announcements, a period of public comment begins. The Mayor advises that the purpose of the public comment session is to give residents of Manchester the opportunity to address the Board. All people wishing to speak must sign up with their name, address and topic prior to 7 p.m. The clerk will call names of speakers. Once called, they will have up to three minutes to speak and any comments must be directed to the chair (the mayor) and concluded when their time is up. If the Clerk calls their name and they are not present to speak, they will not be given a second opportunity. Any resident wishing to speak will come forward to the nearest microphone, clearly state their name and address when recognized and give their comments, for up to three minutes.
7. After the public comment session ends, the meeting continues with presentations, acceptance of previous minutes, committee reports, regular business, new business, tabled items, and finally, adjournment. This may last several hours. Public comment sessions themselves may also last for an extended period.

Remember, you’ve got three minutes. It may help you to practice beforehand to be sure you can say what you want in that time period. I recommend sticking to facts as much as possible, this will give you the most impactful three minutes.

Help improve our city by making your ideas known!