That’s Minnesota 3rd District Congressman Jim Ramstad at the podium in the Council Chambers here in the Eden Prairie City Council Chambers:
Congressman Ramstad held a Town Meeting in our Council Chambers earlier this week on Tuesday, March 29th. Congressman Ramstad holds several Town Meetings each year and we are usually lucky enough to get one of them here in Eden Prairie. We like to host him in City Center. We filmed the Town Meeting. It will be broadcast in its entirety on EPTV-16 on Tuesday, April 5 and April 12 both at 7 p.m.
I try to attend these Town Meetings whenever possible. Congressman Ramstad is a great advocate for us in Washington DC. He is always open to our viewpoint on issues impacting cities. He has been very helpful in securing transportation dollars for regional highway projects in the west metro. Plus, I just like the guy. He is a moderate. He works effectively with both parties. And he is just a personable and honorable man.
Because Congressman Ramstad embodies the qualities I just described, his Town Meetings do not typically generate much “heat or fire” from average citizens or even from his political opponents. This week’s Town Meeting, however, was an exception. The Council Chambers were packed. I estimate the attendance at about 200. Congressman Ramstad took a number of questions from citizens about the war in Iraq, fuel prices, federal tax cuts, and prescription drugs.
But the hottest questions of the night were concerning Social Security reform. For the first time in our Council Chambers, I heard a group of citizens boo Congressman Ramstad. He didn’t deserve that, but they gave it to him anyway. Congressman Ramstad is a skilled politician. He wasn’t rattled at all. He stayed and fielded questions for the full hour. And he’ll be back, I’m sure.
Congressman Ramstad is an advocate for civility in government – at all levels. It was disappointing for him to get boo’ed in our Council Chambers. I hope that at his next Town Meeting in Eden Prairie that he will be treated with the same respect that he alwasy extends to his audience.
