U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden will live online town halls hosted by People’s Town Hall for residents of Clackamas, Linn, Lincoln, Tillamook, Hood River, Jefferson, Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, Josephine and Polk counties over the next two weeks.
Wyden has held 970 in-person town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. After the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 required Wyden’s town halls to go virtual, he has continued to hold regional and county virtual town halls.
Wyden’s office says the senator has postponed in-person town halls until there are clear-cut public health guidelines that a large open-to-all public meeting poses no unusual health risk for Oregonians.
“I very much look forward to resuming the ongoing conversations with Oregonians in communities large and small to hear residents’ priorities with the new Biden administration and Senate in its first weeks with the American Rescue Plan and more,” Wyden said in a press release.
“While precautions require a temporary hold on in-person town halls, I thank People’s Town Hall for helping these ‘Oregon Way’ discussions to continue online for Oregonians living and working throughout our state.”
The first such town hall will be hosted for residents of Clackamas County at noon Monday, March 29. For more information or to watch live, visit the event’s page on Facebook.
Questions for the senator may be submitted in advance here.
“Town halls are essential to our democracy,” said Nathan Williams of People’s Town Hall, a virtual town hall series from the founders of Town Hall Project. “But during this global pandemic, we strongly encourage all lawmakers to adhere to current health guidelines — including holding town halls virtually as long as necessary for public safety.
“People’s Town Hall invites all of Senator Wyden’s constituents to this town hall — all parties welcome, no issue off limits. We expect another substantive, vigorous discussion of the issues that matter most to Oregonians.”
