WISE – “In-person town halls are inefficient.”
That observation Thursday from Virginia Republican Ninth District Congressman Morgan Griffith comes amid reports that Republican members of Congress have been advised not to hold in-person town halls in their districts.
The Associated Press reported March 4 that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson encouraged Republican members to skip in-person town halls in their districts in the wake of protesters complaining of Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency cuts to federal agencies and services.
Johnson claimed the outcry at many members’ events across the country have come from “professional protesters.” Clips from various media outlets in recent weeks included demands for answers about cuts to the Veterans Administration and other agencies.
“I have not done brick-and-mortar town halls in more than ten years due to the immense size and dispersed population of the Ninth District, “Griffith said in an email March 7 to the Kingsport Times News. ”We find teletown halls to have a wider participation.”
On the Tennessee side, Republican First District Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger’s communications director said his boss recently held a public meeting.
“We just had one three weeks ago,” Sam Samogye stated Friday in an email to the Johnson City Press. “Any plans to have more in the future, and our constituents will certainly be made aware.”
In November, Harshbarger announced on her official House webpage two December in-person “Coffee With Your Congresswoman” events in Hawkins County and Bristol. Both event announcements “encouraged” RSVPs via email from constituents to attend.
Griffith, making an unannounced appearance at a courthouse press conference in Wise Thursday, said he has not held any public town halls in the past 10 years and has used “teletown halls” to hear from constituents.
Griffith dismissed complaints about his lack of in-person town halls as “Democratic talking points.” He said that his predecessor - Democratic congressman Rick Boucher – did not hold town halls throughout his 22-years representing the Ninth District until Griffith won the 2010 election.
Boucher on Thursday countered Griffith’s claim.
“Let me set the record straight,” said Boucher. “Most years while I was in Congress, I held 70 or more in-person town halls across the district, at least two per locality. The district was a little smaller then but with independent cities and counties, that was 27 localities in which we tried to hold at least two meetings a year or more.”
According to Griffith’s official House webpage - 9th Congressional District of Virginia | Congressman Morgan Griffith - the Ninth District now has 28 localities: 23 counties and five cities.
Boucher’s town hall meetings were announced beforehand, he said, and included first a report on what was happening in Congress followed by questions from attendees.
“People came to those meetings,” Boucher said, adding that he did not always get a good reception but continued holding live town halls.
“A lot of the ideas I took back to Washington came from I heard from constituents at the town halls,” said Boucher. “You may get a lot of mail, but listening to constituents face-to-face gives you more of an idea of their concerns that they might not be able to put into a letter.”
“As Harry S Truman once put it, if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen,” Boucher said. “Town halls in person are part of what makes a democracy.”
Staffers from Griffith’s office make regular, announced appearances throughout the district to handle constituents’ concerns and business, as did Boucher’s staff during his time in office.
Asked how constituents could participate in the phone conference town halls, Griffith said constituents are called on their landline phones.
Asked if Ninth District residents with cell phones instead of landlines are included in those calls, Griffith said those people must call one of his district offices to “opt in” for the meeting calls.
“I welcome more cell phones,” Griffith said, adding that the teletown halls are announced when participating constituents receive the call that the meeting is starting.
Griffith communications director W.P. Jackson Krug on Thursday said people wanting to join the town hall call list can call Griffith’s Abingdon office at (276) 525-1405.
“They may call the Abingdon office, indicate their interest in being added to the opt-in list, and provide their name and cell phone number,” said Krug.
Griffith did appear with then-Tennessee First District Congressman Phil Roe at a public meeting at the Paramount Theater – on the Tennessee side of State Street in Bristol in April 2011, according to Griffith’s official congressional webpage.
News reports from 2017 stated that Griffith appeared with Roe again in April 2017 for a government and business roundtable – in Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Johnson City Press Managing Editor Cliff Hightower contributed to this report.