OLYMPIA – State Sen. Brian Dansel and Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short invite residents of the 7th Legislative District to discuss state legislative issues during an hour-long telephone town hall at 7 p.m. Monday.
To take part in the toll-free Feb. 3 call, residents should dial 1-877-229-8493 and enter PIN# 112381. The phone line will open shortly before the call begins. To ask questions of the lawmakers during the call, participants may press star three (*3) on their telephone keypads.
The lawmakers will give a brief update on issues being discussed during the legislative session, then open the call up to questions.
“As the newest addition to the Seventh District legislative team, I am looking forward to introducing myself to those I did not meet last fall and listen to the concerns and solutions constituents have to offer,” said Dansel, R-Republic. “I believe government works best when there is a two-way dialogue between residents and their elected officials, so I am excited to share ideas about how we can make our district and the state an even better place to live and work.”
The telephone town hall format has received positive feedback, the lawmakers said.
“We have a huge district that can make it difficult to travel to local meetings with us or to Olympia, particularly in the winter months, which is why these calls have such a great participation rate,” said Kretz, R-Wauconda and deputy House Republican leader. “Our goal is to hear from as many constituents as possible when the Legislature is in session; this format is a convenient way to reach out and ensure more people get a voice in Olympia on issues that impact them.”
“Folks want to be heard, which is evident when we see reports on how many people joined our previous calls into the district,” said Short, R-Addy. “We will be talking Monday about higher gas taxes, costly low-carbon fuel standards and many other issues that would impact individuals and businesses in the Seventh District. We hope folks will join the call and share their thought on these and other issues.”
Residents who are unable to participate in the call may send comments and questions to Dansel, Kretz and Short via e-mail atBrian.Dansel@leg.wa.gov, Joel.Kretz@leg.wa.gov and Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov. Or, they may leave a message for all three legislators by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-562-6000.
The 60-day 2014 legislative session began Jan. 13 and is scheduled to adjourn March 13.
