Join me for a Mini Town Hall: A chance for one-on-one conversation

Listening to you is important to me, and email and telephone calls can’t replace talking to someone in person. That’s why I’m hosting a mini town hall on Thursday, November 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Starbucks Coffee (4112 NE 4^th Street) in Renton.

If you’ve been to a regular town hall meeting, you know it’s hard for everybody to get to ask their questions. This mini town hall is about having real conversations with you, my friends, neighbors and constituents in the 11th District. Each citizen wishing to participate is invited to sign up for a 15-minute time slot. During your time, you’ll have a chance to ask me your questions, comment on legislation, and tell me about your ideas to make Washington a better place to live and work.

How to sign up: Please email my legislative aide, Syd Locke, at syd.locke@leg.wa.gov or call the office at 360-786-7862 and we’ll set a time that works for you.

If you have a specific issue or topic you want to talk about, please share that with my office in advance to help make our time more productive.

If you have things to say but can’t make it to the mini town hall, please feel free to email me at steve.bergquist@leg.wa.gov. I try to respond to every call, email and letter from a citizen in the 11^th District.

It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as your representative, and I hope to see you on November 14!

Share your legislative priorities

Our democracy is strongest when everyone has the ability to participate, so I’m seeking your input on some of the issues that will likely be before the Legislature in 2020. If you have feedback on a topic not included in the survey, please feel free to email me.

You can click here or on the button to take the survey, which should take less than five minutes of your time. Thank you and I look forward to your responses!

Let’s ensure our state boards & commissions reflect the diversity of our communities

Did you know there are over 230 boards and commissions to which the Governor appoints people from across our state? It’s a way to ensure people have a voice in government, and that the diverse array of talents, skills and experiences from all communities are represented. The make-up of our Legislature is now the most diverse in our state’s history. Our boards and commissions should also reflect that diversity. The Governor’s Office is always looking for qualified candidates to fill current and upcoming vacancies. If you are interested, you can read about the many opportunities available by viewing the Monthly Outreach Report or Current and Upcoming Appointments. If you’re ready to apply, click here to fill out an application.

Legislative page program reminder

Every year, students ages 14 to 16 come from all over the state to serve as legislative pages in the House of Representatives. The chance to see the ins and outs of the legislative process up close gives them a hands-on experience that they won’t easily forget. In fact, it can inspire them to become more involved in our democracy and, who knows, maybe even consider running for office. I speak from experience, since I was a page in the 1995 legislative session and have been serving the people of the 11^th District since my first election to the state House in 2012.

The Page Program is free, and students receive a small stipend for their work each day, but requirements like transportation to the Capitol and a white shirt have kept students in our 11^th District from participating in previous years. Fortunately, the legislature created a scholarship program in 2016 to help kids out so they can come to Olympia.

If this is something your teen might be interested in, go to the Page Program website to learn more about it, fill out an application, and get information on how to apply for the Gina Grant Bull Scholarship.

Sincerely,

Rep. Steve Bergquist