U.S. Representatives Tom Reed and Chris Collins share a few things...bot are Republican; Both adore Donald Trump; Both serve the general Western end of New York State. However, they differ greatly on one thing - town hall meetings. From many media reports, Rep. Collins despises town hall settings. In an online posting from WGRZ-TV on Feb. 12, 2017, Collins called those sessions "useless." In fact, his office told Channel 2 "Because what you get are demonstrators who come and shout you down and heckle you," Collins said. "They are not what you hope they would be, which is a give and take from people actually interested in getting some facts." However, Congressman Tom Reed can't seem to get enough of them, even though recently, they haven't always been pleasant. Reed has several planned across his district next month.
I'm not sure its good public policy to refuse to do something, because you 'think' you know what people are thinking or will say.
Collins is holding true to form. According to WGRZ, Collins rejected an invitation from high school students to attend a Western New York forum on April 7th. According to Channel 2, Collins staffers sent this response: "It is progressive organizations like Indivisible.org and Citizens Against Collins that have co-opted this debate to spread misleading and false information to support their anti-2nd Amendment agenda. Rather than playing into a partisan trap, Congressman Collins will continue to focus on having productive discussions with his constituents about important issues currently facing our nation."
I love the new congressional theme - anytime a group of people say something in opposition to you, they are labeled pawns. Believe it or not, sometimes real people express honest thoughts.
Cheers to Reed to hold town hall meetings, even though he knows damn well he is going to get shouted at. Jeers to Chris Collins who has apparently only decided to attend sessions where supporters outnumber the opposition. When you run for public office, you need to understand that some people will support you, some will hate you and many have lost interest and don't care. However, an elected officials is supposed to represent every citizen, not just those that have a dispute with you.
Nearly every week, Rep. Reed conducts a weekly media call. During the past year, reporters have asked Reed his thoughts on those that refuse to hold town hall meetings. Reed, no fool, always dismisses the premise of the question. He says he can only speak for himself. A political answer for sure, because if any regional colleagues were with another party, there could potentially be a comment or two.
The bottom line is...hold the damn town hall meetings...meet with your neighbors and LISTEN. That's all that matters...just listen, at least give the public that prize.
