Constituents pack Sen. Wyden's local town halls | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Constituents pack Sen. Wyden's local town halls

The Oregon Senator is holding at least three public events in Central Oregon this week

As he walked onto the stage at Sisters High School Monday to introduce Oregon Senator Ron Wyden (D), Sisters Mayor Chuck Ryan said the high school's auditorium was the largest space they could obtain for the event.  
click to enlarge Constituents pack Sen. Wyden's local town halls
Nicole Vulcan
City of Sisters Mayor Chuck Ryan introduces Senator Ron Wyden at a town hall in Sisters Monday evening.

With a large turnout, it was clear that bigger spaces were necessary. Around 700 people attended Monday's event, according to Wyden's staff.

When the Senator asked how many people in the room were attending a town hall meeting for the first time, a large majority raised their hands. With the electorate heavily involved in the political process in the months since the election, the turnout is no surprise. According to Roll Call, at least 27 Democrats and 21 Republicans from the U.S. Congress are holding town halls during this President's Day recess. Since 2010, less than a dozen Democrats have chosen to do so during the same time period, according to Roll Call data.

At Sen. Wyden's Sisters event, the first question from audience members was about Pres. Trump's alleged ties to Russia, and what Sen. Wyden was doing to address it. The Senator replied that he would continue to press the 45th president to release his tax returns, to ensure that the president's financial ties were not "more important than protecting your interests." 
click to enlarge Constituents pack Sen. Wyden's local town halls
Nicole Vulcan
The town hall event in Sisters is one of three in Central Oregon this week.

Audience members followed up with questions about immigration and the visa waiver program, campaign finance reform, the Violence Against Women Act, and the future of the Democratic Party. In addition, the question of how constituents can be more engaged and have their voices heard came up numerous times.

As Katie Cavanaugh of Sisters said before the event, "I'd really like to ask the question, what can we really do that is the most effective means in which we can make our voices be known and send a clear message." 
click to enlarge Constituents pack Sen. Wyden's local town halls
Nicole Vulcan
Organizers set up an overflow area for the 700+ who packed Sen. Ron Wyden's town hall in Sisters Monday evening.

In addition to attending town halls, voting and writing letters to their own members of Congress, Sen. Wyden encouraged people to talk to people they know in other states, to ask them to call or write their members of Congress to push for the changes they want to see.

Senator Wyden's local appearances include another town hall held this morning at the Crook County High School in Prineville, and another scheduled for 10 am Wednesday at the Madras Performing Arts Center.

Nicole Vulcan

Nicole Vulcan has been editor of the Source since 2016. You can mostly find her raising chickens, walking dogs, riding all the bikes and attempting to turn a high desert scrap of land into a permaculture oasis.
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