After being elected to Congress in 2022, Representative Brittany Pettersen hosted her first in-person town hall this weekend. But did she really?

Town halls are meant to be public events where constituents, regardless of party or viewpoint, are allowed to ask their elected official questions. This was not the case.

This event was not open to the public. Guests had to preregister, and not only that, they had to provide ID upon check in. This procedural element resulted in long lines and wait times as staff struggled to check over 1,500 IDs. Worst of all, the town hall did not begin on time.

Not all constituents were welcome as my friend and I were asked to leave the venue prior to the start of the town hall. Our infraction? We were holding a sign outside of the event. Specifically, a giant check. We complied and moved off the property. But why, if this was a public forum, would we be asked to leave for quietly holding a sign?

Although I was asked to leave, I was still able to watch the livestream of the town hall. Former Congressman Ed Perlmutter kicked off the meeting by stating “This is a private event, this hall has been rented, anyone causing a disturbance will be asked to leave.” He also added “Questions have been submitted in advance.” How is this allowing for an open and honest dialogue?

The town hall did end with a Q&A segment, but as Perlmutter let on, the questions were prescreened. Even if he hadn’t made this declaration, we would have known this to be the case because every single question was a softball and not a single person asked about Pettersen’s current stances or policy.

This event came off more as a Democratic Party pep rally than a town hall. At one point, Attorney General Phil Weiser chimed in with Kamala Harris’s failed rally cry of “when we fight we win.” If this wasn’t a campaign event, why are we talking about winning?

If Democrats are going to claim they’re “fighting for democracy”, then they need to lead by example. Start by holding genuine town halls.

Sandie Weathers, Lakewood

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