Letters to the Editor: Letter Writer Takes the Low Road

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This is in response to the March 7 letter from Anthony Ahrens. I am disappointed Mr. Ahrens chooses to take the low road in an attempt to spread disinformation, a popular tactic of the Buetler campaign, in which he is active. He states he hasn’t seen any open to the public town hall meetings. Upcoming town halls and meetings have been canceled/postponed due to the current recommendations regarding Covid-19 to not gather in groups. When the Covid-19 scare is over, I assure you they will be resumed. During the last campaign, Carolyn Long held over near 50 public town hall meetings, none over the phone. Can JHB make this claim? 

By this time during the 2018 campaign, Carolyn had barely announced her candidacy and still had close to 50 town hall meetings. Having attended a number of Carolyn’s town halls during the last campaign, I remember Mr. Ahrens in attendance at some of them also. 

Carolyn treated him with respect when he asked numerous questions and she provided straight forward answers. Carolyn is not afraid to discuss her stances on issues.

Carolyn has held several events called “a cold one with Carolyn” where she has held open meetings at local pubs. The coffee meetings are personal invitations in order to reach out to those that do not know her and/or have never met her. For these events, the Long Campaign asked that people of all political beliefs be included. We personally held one of these meetings and it was attended by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike.  

Regarding the insinuation that Carolyn’s campaign asked the non-partisan voters’ forum not to allow video/audio recording of the event. Again, this is a typical ploy of sowing an idea into the public’s mind that has no basis in fact. The fact is, it wasn’t Carolyn Long that asked the event not be recorded, but the policy of the sponsoring group/organization. This tactic, along with spreading disinformation, is exactly what the Buetler campaign did during the last campaign. Stick to the facts.

Mr. Ahrens’ criticism of a lack of public meetings and meeting only with supporters is exactly what Herrera Buetler has been doing for years. Many of us have been to her weekly office hours in Chehalis many times, requesting she hold an advertised, open to the public, face to face (no phones please), town hall. So far, Jaimie Herrera Beutler has been MIA.



We can grumble about the divisiveness of politics, but when individuals put forth misinformation, that person is part of the problem. Carolyn Long is a person of integrity who will look you in the eye, listen, and discuss the issue. She has a proven track record of meeting with the people of Congressional District 3. We need people like Carolyn Long to represent us! I am looking forward to a debate between the two candidates.

 

Dennis Blake

Chehalis