Mayor recaps summer of resident outreach events

Melrose City Hall announced Oct. 14 that Mayor Jen Grigoraitis and city staff spent the summer meeting with residents through a series of informal gatherings across the city.

During August and September, Grigoraitis attended coffee hours at the Milano Senior Center, the Steele House, the Cefalo Complex, the Cochrane House, the McCarthy House, the Fuller and Gould Houses, and the Residence at Melrose Station. The release said these meetups gave residents, particularly those who might be homebound, a chance to speak directly with the mayor about their concerns, priorities and hopes for the community.

Grigoraitis also hosted three "Slice of the City" events in neighborhoods around Melrose, where residents joined her and city councilors for informal gatherings at parks and green spaces while eating pizza from a neighborhood shop. One of the events, held Sept. 9 at Hesseltine Park, brought together residents of Wards 2 and 4 with the mayor and councilors. City Council President Brad Freeman and Councilors Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devom Romanul, Kim Vandiver and Ryan Williams, along with School Committee members Melissa Holleran, Sheri Leo and Jen Razi-Thomas, took part in supporting the events.

Grigoraitis, Freeman and city staff also invited new Melrose residents to a New Resident Open House at City Hall last week, where attendees could meet their elected officials and learn about city services, programs and initiatives.

"Formal meetings and hearings aren't always the easiest way for residents to get to know their elected officials, which is why it can be so valuable to meet residents at informal gatherings like a coffee hour or pizza party in the park," Grigoraitis said in the release. "Thank you to all the residents who attended outreach events in recent months to meet their neighbors and make their voices heard."

Source: City of Melrose announcement, October 14, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement. It was corrected where it differed.