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Vail Daily letter: Hold a town hall

Stop hiding, Scott Tipton.

Congressman Tipton, you have not held a public event for your constituents since April of 2016. That is almost an entire year ago.

The founders specifically created the House of Representatives to be the “People’s House.” The Constitution mandated that members of the House stand for election every two years so that they would be more responsive to the people they represent. The founders wanted our representatives to listen to their constituents, hear voters’ concerns, and explain their actions directly to the people.



I am confident that you believe in the Constitution as much as I do. Yet, as you are now more than a month into your seventh year in Congress, why are you hiding? You have not held a town hall in almost a year and there are none scheduled for the future.

Congressman, hold a town hall. There is a lot to talk about. You have stated you are ready to embrace the Trump-Ryan agenda of repealing the Affordable Care Act, rolling back financial and environmental regulations, and tax reform, among other initiatives. You have every right to do that as you fairly won your seat in Congress, but you should also face your constituents and tell them why.

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Congressman, hold a town hall. Facebook posts and press releases are not enough. Come listen to the concerns of your constituents and meet with us face-to-face. You get elected by voters in this district and all of us pay your salary. Your job is to travel to Washington, D.C., every week to represent us, not to just toe a party line and then maybe explain your votes after the fact. Make yourself available, like many of your colleagues regularly do. Congressman Perlmutter from the Front Range holds a “Government in the Grocery” almost every month where he will meet and listen to anyone that wants to show up. Congressman Coffman, from your own party, has already held a town hall this year in Aurora. There is no legitimate excuse for you to not be doing this.

Congressman, hold a town hall. Your district is geographically gigantic, I know that. However, to show you that my letter is not just a partisan plea, I pledge to drive from my home in Northwest Colorado to anywhere in the district you decide to hold a town hall (assuming it is not during my Monday through Friday work schedule, of course). I know I and many of my fellow constituents that you represent look forward to a peaceful and productive discussion.

My fellow constituents of Representative Tipton, if you agree with me that our congressman should hold a town hall in his district as soon as possible, I encourage you to tell him so. His D.C. office number is 202-225-4761 and his Grand Junction office number is 970-241-2499.

Dylan Roberts

Eagle


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