As an 8th Congressional District constituent, I feel it is vitally important that our elected leaders regularly connect with citizens to remain attuned to their needs. I have resided in the 8th District for one year, and to the best of my knowledge, Rep. Dave Reichert has not held a town hall or open forum with constituents during that time. I find this to be incredibly disappointing. Given the scale of changes currently being considered or already enacted by Congress and our newly-elected president, it has never been more important that our elected representatives provide regular forums through which they can connect with groups of constituents. These opportunities allow our officials to interact with citizens and more thoroughly understand our concerns.

The 115th Congress has a District Work Week scheduled from Feb. 20-24. I request that during that time frame, Reichert hold an in-person town hall meeting with the citizens of the 8th District to discuss critical issues facing our residents — most notably the potential or pending changes to the Affordable Care Act, women’s reproductive rights, immigration regulations and environmental regulations.

Town hall meetings are an excellent means by which we can connect as a community and have an open and honest discussion with our fellow citizens. Reichert needs to make the voices of his constituents a top priority.

Michael Chapman

Issaquah