Marshall will be here Friday for small-group meeting

When our state or national elected officials announce they are coming to our towns to visit with their local constituents, it’s been a tradition for more than 44 years anyway that public meetings are planned and everyone is invited.

That was not the case, however, when on March 17 U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) visited Yates Center in Woodson County for a “town hall’’ meeting at the courthouse with a hand-picked group of area folks who were specifically invited to the meeting.

That anyone from the public was excluded from attending the meeting with Sen. Marshall at Yates Center at the courthouse should concern all Kansans.

More and more, we are learning about elected officials visiting our towns on short notice to meet with pre-approved constituents or small groups of people, but large groups, not so much, for fear of possibly hearing some criticism, I suppose.

For example, it was announced this morning (Wednesday) shortly before presstime that Sen. Marshall plans to be in Holton this Friday, April 11 to meet with representatives of a local company. The media is invited to join in for the meeting but the general public is not.

You can’t call the meeting planned for Holton on Friday a public meeting and you can’t call the meeting that Marshall had in Yates Center a public meeting either because the general public was not invited in either case.

Also, among those who were invited at Yates Center were representatives from at least two groups located outside of Woodson County, from other neighboring counties.

The location selected for Sen. Marshall’s meeting in Yates Center was a small room in the Woodson County Courthouse basement not meant for large crowds. The room could hardly accommodate 20 people, including Marshall and his staff.

Earlier in March, Sen. Marshall reportedly did not finish a similar-type meeting with constituents at Oakley after he was confronted by a group of angry, disrespectful people who expressed dissatisfaction with his legislative work.

At the Marshall gathering at Yates Center, only those invited to participate were given the opportunity to speak while about 20 other people holding signs reading “Do better’’ and “I wish I was getting paid to be here’’ protested outside the courthouse.

Those people protesting in Yates Center reportedly were a mix of local constituents and some from the neighboring town of Humboldt and other places, it was reported.

A handful of other local constituents not invited to the meeting entered the meeting room anyway, refused to leave saying they had a right to be there since the meeting was at the courthouse, and were ultimately allowed to stay, it was reported.

It was reported that the hand-picked audience members at Yates Center did not refrain from sharing legitimate concerns and asking pointed questions of Marshall, and that was good, but it was not right to try to exclude others from the general public who should have also had the opportunity to speak to Marshall and ask questions at that time.

Sen. Marshall is not the only elected official from Kansas trying to dodge potentially, nonsupportive constituents. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) both have been holding similarly restrictive-type meetings at various towns, too, it has been reported.

Must we remind state and national elected officials that they work for us, the people, not the other way around?  They should not be allowed to come to our towns and have closed door meetings at our courthouses.

Small group, invitational-only meetings with elected officials can’t be stopped, I suppose, but they should not take the place of public meetings in Kansas.

We need more opportunities to meet with our elected officials. When they come to our towns and communities, we should be able to visit with them. Marshall’s visit to Holton Friday will be another missed opportunity for constituents to  do that.