OLYMPIA— Residents of the 24th Legislative District who missed out on the March 28 legislative telephone town hall hosted by state Representatives Steve Tharinger (D – Dungeness) and Kevin Van De Wege (D – Sequim) have another opportunity to participate. On Wednesday, May 16, both legislators will host a second telephone town hall beginning at around 6:00 p.m.
Tharinger and Van De Wege say constituent feedback from their first joint telephone town hall was overwhelmingly positive and they have been repeatedly asked to do a similar event now that the 2012 Legislative Session is over.
Telephone town halls utilize the latest technology to enable thousands of participants to be on one call at the same time – a large-scale conference call for the whole district. Participants also have an opportunity to ask questions and share comments or feedback about legislative issues. The event is live, lasts approximately one hour, and is free. The representatives take questions directly from participants during the call, which provides the chance for personal, one-on-one communication despite the high number of participants.
Those who do not receive a call but still want to participate can dial the toll-free inbound participant number, 1-877-229-8493, and enter PIN code No. 18646 when prompted. This number will be active during the call only.
Both Tharinger and Van De Wege also held several in-person town hall events during the 2012 session. They came to Montesano the evening of February 1 for a town hall at Montesano High School. On February 17, Tharinger hosted a town hall in Quilcene, while Van De Wege held one that same evening in Forks. On February 18, both representatives hosted a mid-morning town hall event in Port Angeles.