LEWISTON — If first impressions are any indication, the people of Lewiston are pretty happy with their new police chief.

At a “listening session” at Geiger School on Wednesday night, Chief Carly Conley made the rounds, talking to one person after another about their concerns for the future of the city.

“This has been a great opportunity,” Conley said, “to have small conversations or more intimate conversations with people and to listen to their feedback.”

City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath, typically on the hot seat at these events, took a back-seat role as the people quizzed Conley about her new role.

“Like most people, I’m upset about violence within the city,” said Martha Agren, after a conversation with the chief. “I just wanted to know where we’re going and how it’s going to be dealt with. It’s critical at this point because we don’t want it to get any worse.”

Kaenrath, who named Conley as chief last month, has vowed that public safety is the top priority as Conley takes office, becoming the first female police chief in Lewiston.

“I don’t think things are going to change just because we have a female chief,” Matthew Agren said. “We’re still going to have violence. It’s not just going to go away. But I think she’s going to do a great job with it.”

Conley became chief after David St. Pierre stepped down in late summer. Although the city looked outside the Lewiston Police Department for its next chief, Conley was considered a strong contender from the start. She was who the majority of rank and file officers wanted to see in the chief’s chair, according to multiple sources.

Plenty of current and former city officials were happy with the selection as well.

“I was absolutely thrilled when I saw that it was going to be Carly,” said Dottie Perham-Whittier, who retired last year after 42 years in the city’s communication office. “One thing that stands out about Carly is her integrity. “She’s even keeled, she’s steady and she’s genuine. I just think she’ll bring an abundance of new ideas and input to this role.”

Most of those who grilled Conley on various matters Wednesday night were older folks, or middle-aged folks who have been living in the city a long while.

But Peyton Arsenault, a student at Geiger, had a long conversation with the new chief, as well. When it was over, she said she liked the new chief and was satisfied with responses to Peyton’s questions — although they mostly talked about basketball.

When Kaenrath took the job of city administrator at the start of the year, he almost immediately began holding “listening sessions” as a way for citizens to air their gripes and ask their questions.

As the city prepared to name a new police chief, at least two such sessions were held so residents could weigh in on what they wanted in a new chief.

And while Conley seemed universally liked at the Wednesday night session, not everyone was meeting her for the very first time.

“We knew her from when we took Citizens Police Academy,” said Lisa Jones, at the session with her husband, Andrew, “so we mostly just went to say congrats.”

Now that Conley is officially on the job, city officials said further listening sessions are likely to be scheduled so they can get more feedback from the people she serves.

“Dialogue is always valuable,” Mayor Carl Sheline said. “These community meetings help to build trust between residents and the police, which will ultimately result in a safer Lewiston.”