On April 30, 2013 Brockton Mayor Linda Balzotti visited the TRA-Brockton office to meet with students enrolled in the Adult Basic Education Program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The students had been told of her upcoming visit and were asked to prepare questions that were important to them.

With her straight-forward approach, Mayor Balzotti candidly fielded a variety of questions. Students expressed concerns about parking woes, the high incidence of crime in the city, who they should call if they had a problem with their rubbish pick up, and what was she personally doing about the high rate of unemployed Brocktonians. She was ready with an answer for each of their inquiries.

Mayor Balzotti also informed the students about the new building going on in and around the city’s downtown area and advised one student who is an unemployed construction worker how he could go about identifying contractors for the project as well as their hiring practices.

The students had a much different impression of the Mayor’s job after they heard her speak of the realities and limits of what her position allows her to do. One student expressed surprise that the Mayor’s position could not override the powers of the Commonwealth’s regarding some issues directly affecting the City of Brockton.

Overall, TRA students were very pleased to have had this special time with the Mayor. Student Maria Anjos said, “I’m very happy that you came to TRA. It made me feel better about Brockton and I feel I have a better future here.”

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