In an effort to encourage average citizens to voice concerns with the city government, Charlottesville Mayor Blake Caravati started a series of "Meet the Mayor" days yesterday afternoon.
"I'm very pleased," Caravati said. "We had five people stop by and two phone calls."
He said he had been slightly worried about turnout and likened his concern to "throwing a party and hoping people would show."
Citizens who visited the mayor yesterday expressed concern over issues such as parking in the city, transportation and biking. One local citizen, an ex-felon, even talked to the mayor about reclaiming his voting rights.
Caravati said the meetings will allow him to serve his mission of "getting to people who do not vote."
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About 75 percent of the city electorate do not vote, he said.
He added that he is "just a regular guy" and citizens should feel "it is not all that bad to get involved."
Caravati said he encourages University students and faculty to stop by during a "Meet the Mayor" day to discuss issues important to them.
His motives for holding the open meetings are purely in the interests of the local electorate, he said.
"I'm not running for anything. I already won," he joked.
Caravati said he wishes to improve the city government and show that he cares about what individuals think.
Future "Meet the Mayor" days will be held Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the mayor's office in City Hall on the Downtown Mall at 7th and East Main Street.
Caravati also plans to travel around the city to locations such as Barnes & Noble to meet even more citizens.
He decided to hold the open hours after being encouraged by the actions of two councilors in the Washington, D.C. area who went out of their way to meet citizens.
One of the councilors is on the D.C. City Council and goes to Metro stops to talk to D.C. residents, Caravati said.
Caravati's use of the mayor's office for the open meetings is quite novel, City Council Clerk Jeanne Cox said.
"Most mayors would hold meetings in their work office," Cox said. "In years we were short of space, the mayor's office was used by staff."
Caravati also is president and owner-manager of Vector Construction Inc., a commercial contracting company.
Cox said Councilor and former mayor David Toscano occasionally held "structured forums" but the last mayor to open his office on a regular basis was the Rev. Alvin Edwards, whose term was from 1990-1992.
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