By Killian Maree
For the North Star Reporter
Town Manager Michael Borg is behind the mic with a new podcast called “Town Hall Talks,” a series that will dive into aspects of the town and its government.
“Town Hall Talks” is hosted by Borg. The show can be listened to on Spotify and there are two episodes out already. The podcast is interview structured, and starts with catchy theme music and the slogan “It’s a great day to be in North Attleborough,” which Borg often is heard to say. Each episode is approximately 20 minutes long.
In the first episode is titled “Assessments in North Attleborough.” In the show’s debut, Borg sits down with Assistant Assessor Cheryl Smith and Board of Assessors Chair John Bellissimo to talk about assessments in North Attleborough and what people can do if they have a question about the process.
The second episode is about the Richard Memorial Library and features Library Director Debbie Clifton. Borg talks to Clifton about the construction that is going on at the library, its genealogy records, as well as the history of the building.
The podcast is done with the help of North TV and was created by Borg with help from Communications and Information Officer Taylor O’Neil.
“I wanted to develop and expand the ways that we communicate and address different topics and issues that are happening in town with a medium that would provide another way for us to get the message out,” Borg said about why the podcast was created.
The plans for “Town Hall Talks” are to do a complete first season, which would consist of 20-26 episodes. After this, the team that makes the podcast will take a step back and assess how effective the show has been.
“Town Hall Talks” will release new episodes every two weeks. Borg does not want to limit the show to just interviewing government officials.
“We can bring in people off the street and have a conversation about what makes North Attleborough great,” Borg said.
The podcast is trying to reach a broad spectrum of listeners in town. According to Borg, the episodes should be listened to if people need help with something or if something interests them specifically.
The next episode of “Town Hall Talks” will come out on Memorial Day and will feature Borg having a conversation with town hall employees who are veterans and what Memorial Day means to them.
