Be open to the public

I call on Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell and Rep. Brett Guthrie to hold public town halls with their constituents during the next recess. None of these elected officials met with any general public group during the last recess. Rather, they chose to fundraise for their party or meet in private with selected groups of business leaders.

I need to hear and ask questions about their proposed policies and votes. Just reading email form letters thanking me for contacting their offices and opinion essays in the newspaper doesn’t allow for an exchange of ideas and dialogue, which is sorely needed in Washington right now.

I want meetings that afford respect to Kentucky voters and acknowledge something all politicians need to accept: They work not just for lobbying groups, wealthy contributors or business leaders, but for me and every citizen of the commonwealth.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Be open to the public."