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N.C. Members of Congress Shy Away from Town HallsOnly McHenry plans several public forums; most refuse to provide schedules
Carolina Journal,
August 6, 2009
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If you’re a North Carolinian and hoped to offer your two cents at one of these events, you’re probably out of luck. As of Tuesday, based on calls to the office of every member of the state’s congressional delegation and searches of their Web sites, only one had scheduled any public forums in his district during the August recess: 10th District Republican Patrick McHenry, who over the next three weeks is planning a town hall meeting in each of the 10 counties he represents in the House.
A CNN poll released Wednesday found that 71 percent of adult Americans were very likely (41 percent) or somewhat likely (30 percent) to attend a “town hall meeting or some other public forum where voters got a chance to speak” on health-care reform hosted by a member of Congress in their communities. If you’re a North Carolinian and hoped to offer your two cents at one of these events, you’re probably out of luck. As of Tuesday, based on calls to the office of every member of the state’s congressional delegation and searches of their Web sites, only one had scheduled any public forums in his district during the August recess: 10th District Republican Patrick McHenry, who over the next three weeks is planning a town hall meeting in each of the 10 counties he represents in the House. |