The Higley High School multipurpose room had barely settled when a student named Walker clapped once on cue for a videographer and took a seat across from Gilbert Mayor Scott Anderson.

The two sat a few feet apart, framed in a faux living room setting with chairs on either end and a love seat in between upon which sat Gilbert Youth Community Engagement Officer Emily King. To the side was a table lined with snacks and swag like Gilbert-branded socks.

It was the kind of casual, small-room moment that rarely appears on a civic calendar, yet it offered exactly the sort of quiet exchange Anderson says he values most.

The session unfolded as a rotating set of students — musicians, athletes, aspiring public servants and those simply curious about their town — stepped forward to ask questions o

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