September 2, 2021 at 4:47 p.m.
Constituents are not being served
Letters to the Editor
Constituents are not being served
To the editor:
As a resident of District 33, I do not feel like we are being represented at the statehouse.
Since the 2020 election our representative, JD Prescott, has not held a single public town hall to answer constituent’s questions. The one town hall that he did participate in was held at a private venue, was not openly advertised and not even announced until a few days before the event.
I called JD Prescott’s office the day before the event and his staff were not even aware of it and it wasn’t on his calendar. I showed up to this town hall but was reminded by Prescott that it was on private property and that I had no right to record or share any part of the town hall on social media with my fellow constituents.
Prescott was recently sued by the American Civil Liberties Union on my behalf for violating my First Amendment rights by blocking me on a public forum on which he was acting as a government official. My questions were simple and were a response to Prescott’s post openly advocating for legislation while he was in session. This lawsuit resulted in a settlement in which Prescott stated he would rather delete his Facebook page altogether than to allow his constituents to freely ask questions or voice concerns.
My wife and I have written several emails to Prescott asking specific questions on different pieces of legislation. These questions range from why he voted for or against certain bills as well as specific questions on the details of bills. These emails have all remained unanswered.
Prescott complained on Facebook before deleting his page that there was a lot of misinformation around House Bill 1005. A lot of that misinformation would be cleared up if Prescott were willing to openly engage with his constituents by holding regular public town halls, particularly during session, or by hosting an online forum open to all where we are free to ask questions. Instead, he is not making himself available to his constituents and appears to be blatantly avoiding town halls, debates and any communication in writing.
This leads me to ask the question, “How are our voices being heard at the statehouse?”
I would argue that they are not.
Brandon Kloer
Portland
As a resident of District 33, I do not feel like we are being represented at the statehouse.
Since the 2020 election our representative, JD Prescott, has not held a single public town hall to answer constituent’s questions. The one town hall that he did participate in was held at a private venue, was not openly advertised and not even announced until a few days before the event.
I called JD Prescott’s office the day before the event and his staff were not even aware of it and it wasn’t on his calendar. I showed up to this town hall but was reminded by Prescott that it was on private property and that I had no right to record or share any part of the town hall on social media with my fellow constituents.
Prescott was recently sued by the American Civil Liberties Union on my behalf for violating my First Amendment rights by blocking me on a public forum on which he was acting as a government official. My questions were simple and were a response to Prescott’s post openly advocating for legislation while he was in session. This lawsuit resulted in a settlement in which Prescott stated he would rather delete his Facebook page altogether than to allow his constituents to freely ask questions or voice concerns.
My wife and I have written several emails to Prescott asking specific questions on different pieces of legislation. These questions range from why he voted for or against certain bills as well as specific questions on the details of bills. These emails have all remained unanswered.
Prescott complained on Facebook before deleting his page that there was a lot of misinformation around House Bill 1005. A lot of that misinformation would be cleared up if Prescott were willing to openly engage with his constituents by holding regular public town halls, particularly during session, or by hosting an online forum open to all where we are free to ask questions. Instead, he is not making himself available to his constituents and appears to be blatantly avoiding town halls, debates and any communication in writing.
This leads me to ask the question, “How are our voices being heard at the statehouse?”
I would argue that they are not.
Brandon Kloer
Portland
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