Town Hall with Area Legislators

Washington County Town Hall Recap

June 26th

Washington County had a great Town Hall at River Valley Christian Church in Lake Elmo on June 26^th. I was told 40 would be a successful Town Hall and we had over 100 people attend. I thank God we had such a good turnout. Many people helped to make this possible. Flyers were created and handed out or posted on different sites. CAT members shared with people they met and their neighbors. Some of us did phone calls through I 360. Thank you to Sara Bertschinger and Pete Keller for orienting us to the process. Pastor Jon Neitzell, senior pastor of River Valley Christian Church, sent flyers to churches in the St. Croix valley and on the Sunday before the Town Hall he told member they needed to be there to hear what the legislators had to share. The support of a pastor and all the work done ahead of time made a difference in who attended the Town Hall. One of my neighbors asked me “why don’t we hear about these information sessions”?  If we don’t share, they don’t know. (CLICK HERE and listen to the event audio file.)

The Legislators

We had the privilege of having Representatives Pam Altendorf, Elliot Engen, Mark Weins, and Senator Eric Lucero share their thoughts about this year’s legislative session and how they decided to run for office.  Three of them stated public office wasn’t even on their radar until they became involved in what was happening in the culture.  Two of them knew it was a call from God for them to run for their current offices. Dale Witherington moderated and kept the question and answer time lively, giving as many people as possible a chance to ask questions.

Take-Aways

One of my take-aways from the evening was when Representative Altendorf responded to the question “Does it make a difference when we come to the Capitol.” She shared that when around 100 Home School parents showed the Democrats backed down a bill they were working on that would require Home Schools to report test scores to the Principals. She also said when we show up it encourages them to stay in the fight. They need us there.

Representative Engen responded to a comment about not wanting to live in Minnesota. He said “the Democrats want us to give up and leave Minnesota. We need to stay and fight for Minnesota.” Truth is worth Fighting for.  Representative Engen is 24 and he started his culture battle when he organized a Turning Point USA chapter on his college campus. Over 1000 students showed up when he thought he was the only conservative on campus.

Insightful Event

So much was shared during the Town Hall. It was well worth the time to organize and attend. A special thank you to Pastor Jon Neitzell, Dale Witherington and Sara Bertschinger for making this Town Hall possible! We have great support in Restore Minnesota.  Also, a big thank you to Pastor Greg Hamm, Pastor Peter Wolnar, all the volunteers from River Valley Christian Church and the CAT members who helped make the evening successful.