On Saturday, March 23, I attended a town hall meeting sponsored by Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and Rep. Lori Pryor. It was a well-advertised event in local newspapers, and there were more than 50 people in attendance.
For 90 minutes, we listened to our state government representatives address our questions and concerns. We learned their positions on many issues and heard about their plans to move legislation forward. They talked about how they are seeking common ground with others who have different opinions. It was civil, even pleasant, as people stayed around after speaking face to face with their representatives and each other.
So I ask: What is U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen afraid of that he refuses to host similar events — for more than six years?
Everyone in attendance at this town hall is a constituent of Rep. Paulsen, and there was no shouting, no posturing, nothing that Mr. Paulsen offers as to why he doesn’t host such public in-person events. The message I hear from this is that he doesn’t trust his constituents, or worse, that he realizes that his actions are not in line with the people he represents.
As many letter writers have explained, a telephone town hall event does not provide the same connectedness that his constituents have a right to expect and deserve. After all, do you think that only having phone calls with family or friends builds healthy relationships, especially when questions and comments are screened and the other peoples’ headsets are muted? No opportunity to ask for clarification or follow-up questions. No opportunity to offer a brief story to add context to the conversation. Plenty of opportunity to avoid hard questions or sensitive topics.
Rep. Paulsen, you have many angry constituents. Hiding behind the phone or attending unannounced events doesn’t solve that problem. Admit that it was a mistake to avoid meeting with people face to face in a planned, publicly announced town hall events and start scheduling some. You probably won’t like everything you hear, but if you listen, you may actually gain some perspective about your constituents and the concerns we have about the direction we want you to take us. If you are not willing to do this, you do not deserve to represent us anymore.
Jennifer Urbanski, Eden Prairie
Eden Prairie News, April 12, 2018