Editorial: They may be contentious, but U.S. Rep. Graves needs to host town hall meetings

Published 8:03 pm Thursday, May 11, 2017

As members of Congress hold town hall meetings throughout the country, some north Georgia residents are wondering why U.S. Rep. Tom Graves hasn’t done the same.

Graves, a Republican who represents the 14th Congressional District, a 12-county swath of the state that includes Whitfield and Murray counties, has eschewed those face-to-face meetings in favor of teleconferences. Some have complained these teleconferences are too tightly controlled and don’t allow time for questions.

Emotions are running high for many Americans. Whether it’s the reality of a new Republican president, the Affordable Care Act in flux, frayed nerves over international relations or general uneasiness, people want answers.

Many of these town hall meetings have been contentious. A number have devolved into near riots as residents have booed and shouted down their elected officials. If you want further evidence, search the internet for “Congress town hall meetings.”

Graves has made appearances in Dalton in recent months.

This past August, Graves helped bring vice presidential candidate Mike Pence to the Dalton Convention Center. In March, Graves was the keynote speaker at the Whitfield County Republican Party’s convention. Today, he is scheduled to speak at an invitation-only luncheon fundraiser for fellow Republican state Sen. Chuck Payne, who represents Whitfield County. This private event isn’t accessible to many area residents as the “suggested minimum” donation to attend is $100, according to the invitation.

You do have the opportunity to interact with Graves’ staff.

Through his County Connection Program, Graves’ constituent service representatives travel to work with residents of the 14th District on federal policy or program problems. And his offices in Floyd and Whitfield counties are staffed five days a week. The Whitfield County office is in Dalton at 702 S. Thornton Ave.

Despite this accessibility, residents want to hear straight from Graves. They don’t want tweets. They don’t want carefully worded press releases. They don’t want highly vetted teleconferences.

We urge Graves to hold town hall meetings during his time away from Washington, D.C. Voters elected him. They deserve the opportunity to ask him questions.

The town hall meetings might get noisy. They might be uncomfortable. But they are the right approach for our elected representative to take.