By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Local voters – not paid protestors – left several messages for U.S. Rep. Bob Latta this morning, with the most important being that he works for them.
The voters wanted to meet personally with Latta, R-Bowling Green, but met instead with his District 5 Director Andrew Lorenz. Only 20 people fit in the congressman’s office at a time, so others stood out along North Main Street, in front of his office, holding signs about issues they care about – clean water, immigration, health care and more.
“There are so many reasons, where do I start,” said Dee Dee Wentland, Perrysburg, who took a day off work to join the protest.
“We’re trying to get the congressman to have a town hall with his constituents, but all of our efforts to meet with him are ignored or turned down,” said Jennifer Harvey, of Bowling Green.
Across the nation, congressional leaders are being confronted by hostile crowds at town hall meetings. So, many of the politicians are just refusing to hold open meetings with their constituents. Latta held a telephone town hall last week, but that isn’t good enough, according to people who crowded into his office today.
Latta’s website lists his last true town hall meeting as June 2010. Lorenz said the congressman has held 51 courthouse conferences, where he meets one-on-one with constituents. When repeatedly asked where Latta was this morning, Lorenz repeatedly said “he’s out in the district today.”
“That’s a non-answer,” one woman replied.
“This is so insulting. It’s unacceptable,” said Kirsty Sayer, of Bowling Green. “We’ve taken off work. We’ve gotten babysitters. And he can’t leave his fancy home to come here?”
Joanne Schiavone, of Walbridge, told Lorenz to remind Latta that he works for local residents – even if they don’t have an “R” behind their names.
“He needs to support us. We are his constituents. He’s forgotten he works for us,” Schiavone said. “We pay his wages. We pay his health care.”
One of the citizens said he was a long-time “R,” having voted Republican for more than 50 years. This year, “absolutely not,” said Leonard Lepper, of Bowling Green. “Because I think the Trump administration is against everything I stand for,” he said, listing off specific reasons of “the wall, immigration, health care, and on and on and on.”
When pressed, Lorenz said Latta has no plans for a town hall meeting, but will continue to hold telephone town halls. Lorenz collected information from people who wish to be contacted for the next call.
Citizens meet in Latta’s office with his district director, Andrew Lorenz.
Lorenz also took notes to share with Latta on citizen concerns. For an hour, the concerns ranged from water quality and questionable new leadership for the EPA, to refugees and the proposed wall between Mexico and the U.S.
Many told personal stories of how the Affordable Care Act helped keep them healthy.
Joyce Quinlivan, of Perrysburg, said she is a five-year breast cancer survivor.
“My treatment would have been compromised,” without the ACA, she said. “It’s unconscionable in this country.”
Linda Schneider, of Perrysburg, said she depends on the ACA and noted that Republicans in Congress voted more than 50 times to repeal it. “I don’t see how they can just take it away.”
Lorenz said plans are being made to replace the ACA, including the provision that covers pre-existing conditions.
Schiavone said her daughter, who has stage 4 breast cancer, depends on that coverage. “It better be in there,” she said of the pre-existing clause in any replacement bill. “I’m going to hold him to this.”
Gwen Andrix, of Bowling Green, said she was unable to get insurance prior to the ACA because she is transgender. “If the ACA is repealed, I lose my insurance,” she said.
Questions were raised about two bills that Latta recently supported – one allowing coal companies to dump waste into public waterways, and the other to allow people to buy guns even if they have been declared mentally unable to handle their own affairs.
“This Congress just voted to rollback the rules to keep handguns out of the hands of the mentally ill,” said Greg Fess, of Latta’s portion of Toledo. “I can only assume the NRA has influence over our Congress.”
Some voters asked that Latta stand up for integrity in federal government.
Dave Perry, who was wearing a sign saying the election was rigged, said Russian involvement in the election seems clear. “He’s going to find himself on the wrong side of history. I remember Watergate. The question is what did the president know and when did he know it?”
Peter Morais, of Toledo, agreed. “The integrity of all of our Congress is on the line today,” here and around the world, he said.
Morais also raised questions about Trump’s financial interests, saying that no travel bans were instituted for the Muslim majority nations where Trump has business holdings.
“This is an act of treason,” Schiavone said of Russian’s involvement in the election. “Your party spend millions of dollars investigating” Hillary Clinton, but seems unwilling to look into Trump’s team working with the Russians.
Other citizens asked the Latta not go along with Trump’s ban on refugees. Cecelia Johnson said she works in Toledo with refugees who can no longer bring the rest of their families to the U.S.
“If the Republican party is about family values,” then the ban should not stand, she said. “We will separate families forever.”
Johnson told of a Syrian family now unable to bring their 9-year-old daughter to this country.
“I’m devastated for them,” she said, noting the already robust vetting system in place. “These are not terrorists. It’s just inhumane.”
Lepper, the life-long Republican, was critical of the border wall Trump promised between the U.S. and Mexico.
“The Soviet Union built an 11-foot wall. They still couldn’t keep people from leaving,” Lepper said.
“The wall is a waste of money,” that could be better spent on repairing crumbling infrastructure in the nation, he added.
Other constituents voiced support for Planned Parenthood and asked about Latta’s allegiance to oil companies, and plans for Social Security and Medicare.
“What about my Social Security? Are you going to privatize it,” Schiavone said. “What about my Medicare? Are you going to put it on a voucher?”
Schiavone also offered a bit of advice for Latta to pass on to Trump. “He needs to stay off of Twitter.”
Latta is scheduled to appear at a fundraising event this evening at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green, so voters hope to get his attention as they stand outside that venue.
