Burr and Tillis fail to hold town hall meetings

The first Congressional recess since the president’s inauguration was held last week — a time when legislators often return to home districts and hold public town hall meetings to communicate with constituents.

But Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., did not schedule in-person meetings, joining a line of other legislators that have done the same.

Some legislators, like Rep. Robert Pittinger, R-N.C., have opted for other modes of communication — like telephone town hall meetings.

Many state citizens have responded with organized protests and paid advertisements, demanding communication with legislators.

Together We Will North Carolina, a network of progressive activists, paid for a News & Observer advertisement, stating Burr had failed to respond to constituents.

Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, said the amount of political participation has significantly increased this year with the new presidential administration.

“It’s a time where we’re seeing a lot of engagement with their leaders and activism that’s higher than what we normally see,” Phillips said.

Trump responded to claims of frustrated constituents by tweeting, “the so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!”

Town hall meetings provide a unique opportunity for citizens and representatives to have an open dialogue about the issues in their community, said Jen Jones, a spokesperson for Democracy N.C., in an email.

“Any Washington lawmaker would be hard-pressed to claim he or she respects the will of the voters if they’re unwilling to listen to them,” she said. “It may not be easy. It may not be fun. But without exception, it’s a part of the job.”

Jones said unless the district is gerrymandered, the lack of public town hall meetings held by legislators in the district is not a partisan issue.

“The absence of certain Washington lawmakers from these important discussions perfectly illustrates the desperate need for redistricting reform in our state and many others like it,” Jones said.

Diane Robertson, the political chairperson for the N.C. NAACP in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, said gerrymandering is undermining to our democracy.

“If they stopped the gerrymandering we could get a better sense of what both sides feel,” she said.

But Phillips said legislators could have legitimate reasons for not holding town hall meetings, such as meetings in other states or countries.

“I think that it is important for our elected leaders when they have breaks to go on trips for fact finding, being exposed to things would be related to their job. I see nothing wrong with that,” he said.

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