I have to take Carolyn Long’s “town halls” with a grain of salt. They sound more like campaign rallies. The tough town halls take place after the elected official goes back to Washington, D.C., and votes on contentious issues, then comes back and has to explain his/her thinking to the electorate. The opposition often gets belligerent. I believe this was at least one of the reasons former U.S. Rep. Brian Baird no longer wanted to stand for re-election and at least partly the reason Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, does the phone town halls. Long seems to feel town halls are very important. If she’s elected, would she be willing to vow she would hold one at least one each quarter as long as she’s in office?
