Town hall meetings disappearing

For ages, members of Congress spent their annual August recess hosting a parade of town hall meetings where voters could personally gripe, praise them or seek their help in a ritual of American democracy.

That is now disappearing in Utah, with only Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Rob Bishop, R-Utah, planning any such meetings this year. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, have junked them in favor of more high-tech telephone conferences that they say reach more people.

But some say it may be a sign of cowardice by officeholders unwilling to face personally people upset with them, while instead using a telephone forum where disgruntled people can be easily cut off or avoided, and any unpleasantness occurs beyond the view of news cameras.

That comes as groups on both sides of the health-care reform debate have protested at town hall meetings elsewhere nationally, resulting in raucous affairs.

Chaffetz criticizes others for halting the traditional town meetings.

"I think you need to be able to stand the heat in the kitchen. … I stand up to the microphone and answer the hard questions. I think that's what it's all about," he said.

Chaffetz adds that he also likes and uses telephone conference calls with voters. "But when you do that, you pick who you call, where a town hall meeting allows anyone to show. I like that type of forum. I thrive in the spontaneity of a town hall meeting."

Scott Parker, chief of staff to Bishop, said Bishop continues traditional town hall meetings because "they are a great avenue to give an update on activities in Washington and to hear input and thoughts from constituents. They … play an important role when it comes to representing the views of your district."

Matheson stopped doing traditional town hall meetings about two years ago, long before current controversy about whether congressmen who dump them might be trying to avoid controversy before news cameras with people who dislike their stand on health care.

He said advertising traditional town hall meetings by sending post cards to all constituents was expensive, "and then we were getting fewer than 50 people showing up at events."

He added, "We found a much more effective way to get people connected was through the telephone town hall. … We've had over 45,000 people on the phone just this year in telephone town halls. It's allowed me to have a much more inclusive, comprehensive dialogue with constituents."