The formalities are over for the new Harrisonburg mayor. Now, Kai Degner says he wants to start working on the city's problems.

Over coffee and tea at Earth & Tea Cafe in Harrisonburg, Degner and local residents discussed a new outlook for the city.

For Dr. Nikitah Imani, an associate professor at James Madison University, a major concern is crime.

He says, "Making sure we have lighting, sometimes in spacial or geo-spacial, having lighting in all the communities so that people can see what's going on and it helps law enforcement, it helps the community."

Imani says it may seem mundane, but better lighting around the city may be a simple way to drop the crime rate.

He says, "I think that is your best sort of oppositional force to criminal activity."

Degner says he encourages ideas like Imani's.

"There wasn't a lot of information at the meeting today about what the process is to put up light polls. Well there is a process for that," says Degner. "What we need to do is learn what that is and share it so that people feel empowered to make the change that they are interested in seeing happen."

However, it will be a process that will cost money. The economy is another big issue for people like Imani.

Imani says, "What I am really concerned about are the low-income and middle-income jobs that a lot of local residents are going to have and what we are going to do in terms of developing those kind of jobs. And that still remains the fundamental question."

Degner says it's one of the top priorities for the council.

He explains, "Business is going to be on our mind all throughout our time on council. Local business is certainly we our encouraging."

Degner says the meeting went so well that he plans to hold one like this one the first Wednesday of every month.