The first town hall of U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, a phone event, was beset by faulty notification to some of those who wanted to participate. Directions to join the call weren’t received by some until later in the call; others claimed never to have received the information even though they had registered.
In a statement about the event, Michael Gordon, Barrett’s deputy of staff, said the Congressman appreciates the more-than 1,800 constituents who participated.
“It was a robust and respectful conversation on everything from Elon Musk and DOGE to Social Security, Medicaid, preserving care at the VA, as well as (Barrett’s) bill to update military aircraft with safety equipment to make our airspace safer for everyone,” Gordon said. “Despite our best efforts and more than 26,000 outbound calls placed, our office is aware of an error that prevented some folks from participating.”
Gordon said Barrett’s office is investigating the cause to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“We will be hosting another event soon,” he said. “We will be sure to share the details when they are finalized.
As Barrett’s office promises to schedule another event, some constituents from throughout the 7th District — which includes all of Livingston, Ingham, Clinton and Shiawassee counties, the state capital of Lansing, as well as a majority of Eaton County and small portions of Oakland and Genesee counties — have joined forces for a town hall to which they are inviting the Congressman to hear their concerns.
The constituent event is set for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333, 5405 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. In Lansing.
“We are collecting signatures on a petition demanding an in-person town hall, and we will deliver the petition to (Barrett’s) Lansing office, along with an invitation to the April 22 event,” said Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, in a release.
The delivery of the petition is set for 11 a.m. Friday, March 21. Daubenmier said a small group of constituents will present the petitions and the invitation, while others will peacefully demonstrate outside.
“We are scheduling this during the Easter recess so Barrett has plenty of time to arrange his schedule to be there,” Daubenmier said. “We will have a chair set aside for him if he comes, so there should be no excuse for him not to be there.”
She said the plans for the event include attendance from other elected officials — including a “headline speaker” — who will listen to the stories of 7th District constituents if Barrett doesn’t show.
Groups supporting the in-person town hall include unions, environmental groups, voter groups, 7th District Democrats, and more.
“The important thing is that the people will have a chance to be heard, one way or another,” Daubenmier said.
