Town Hall Meeting in Tacoma
May 16th, 2009 by Republican By DefaultWhat a wonderful change of pace. I’ve been to a lot of forums in downtown Tacoma but so far none have been like this one.
State Senator Randi Becker and County Auditor Jan Shabro were guest speakers at a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Pierce County Republican Party (PCRP). Bob Lawrence, PCRP Chair, moderated the event.
The speakers were given time to address issues that were important to them and we heard a lot of good information from both. Afterward came the Question and Answer portion with great questions and suggestions from the audience.
What set this event apart from others that I’ve attended is that I came away feeling like someone in government is listening. That’s something that conservatives like me seldom experience in this part of the state.
Randi Becker (no relation) talked about bills that have come up in Olympia. Some passed, some failed, some didn’t make it out of committee, some never made it into committee. What I liked best was her opinion of which bills should have passed and which should have failed. Since I’m not in her district I don’t know her well enough to know if she’s conservative but I can tell she’s not a liberal.
Jan Shabro talked about voter registration processes, cost cutting and legislation that affects those issues. She, too, is a breath of fresh air compared to the previous occupants of the County Auditor’s office.
The questions from the audience were equally encouraging. As an example, when the subject of bicycles came up instead of hearing that we need more bike paths we heard questions about how to make bicycle riders pay their fair share for the roads they use.
The only disappointing part of the meeting was hearing that they’re often fighting an uphill battle when it comes to improving government in our area. Senator Becker needs to have more people voting with her in the State Senate and Jan Shabro needs our support in the upcoming special election for the position she’s been appointed to fill.
If you would like more information on either of these people you can find it on their Web sites: