Mayor Bill de Blasio took questions from the public Tuesday evening in Claremont Village for his first-ever town hall meeting in the Bronx.

For roughly two hours, the mayor answered some tough questions from community members. Topics included public safety, education and housing.

De Blasio, who was hosted by City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, started off with speech with a standing ovation from the crowd. He announced that crime is low and employment is up. He also talked about his initiatives to clean up NYCHA complexes like the Butler Houses and his plan to put more police officers across the city.

He admitted that there is much to be done across the board, to which residents responded with questions such as why there are still many instances of gun violence on their streets.

Local leaders and elected officials such as the head of NYCHA and the city's health commissioner were on hand to step in and help address specific problems.

De Blasio says the meeting was just the beginning of a much-needed dialogue in the community and city as a whole.