A Representative, or Not.

A graphic showing Tom Barrett hiding in his office telling constituents to “Go Away”

A core tenant of elected leadership is being responsive to your constituents. In order to be responsive, you have to be able to listen - and not just to the people you surround yourself with. A true public servant will take the challenge of hearing from their voters, no matter the good or bad.

Unfortunately, Representative Tom Barrett is beginning to fail in this core tenant of public service. Instead of listening to the people of his district that he supposedly represents, Tom Barrett’s staff insist that it would be unproductive for the new Congressman to hold an in-person town hall. They plan to host a telephone town hall, where questions are scripted and constituents are ignored. Representative Barrett would rather dodge his constituents than represent them.

This isn’t just Barrett’s fault. The Republican Speaker of the House and Republican leadership has instructed their members to avoid in-person town halls. How can a party be for the people if they are unwilling to meet with them? While government inefficiency is a valid concern, might the drastic cuts be so far that even Republicans are upset? Instead of facing reality, Tom Barrett plans to abandon his constituents for marching orders from the Oval Office, no matter the consequences.

If Tom Barrett actually cared about the people of the 7th Congressional District, he would hold an in-person town hall to hear our thoughts. That is how government is supposed to work. That sounds productive to us; how about you, Tom?

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