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We need town halls, and they need dialogue

I attended U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth's town hall meeting April 11 in Palatine. I was disappointed that only like-minded people attended the forum and took the opportunity to hear our senator.

For our democracy to rebound from the shocks of the 2016 election, there needs to be a reasonable and respectful dialogue. Both sides must reach outside their comfort zones to understand differing views and others' perspectives.

Rep. Peter Roskam, whose district includes Palatine, refuses to hold an in-person town hall meeting and says he's no fan of "circus" town hall meetings. He prefers a more controlled setting for town-hall-style meetings by telephone.

In those calls, his staff screens questions and he generally shuts callers off without follow-up questions or rebuttal. This is not a dialogue.

Duckworth took questions from attendees who were picked randomly without screening. The Duckworth town hall could not have been more civil. It was not a "circus." But unfortunately, it lacked any opposing voices to hers.

Frankly, this astonished me. During the rise of the Tea Party, town hall meetings were well attended by both sides. I attended one in Barrington where then-Rep. Joe Walsh encouraged Tea Party supporters and demeaned Democratic skeptics. But there were two sides represented and there was discussion.

In Palatine, only one side chose to attend. There are plenty of Republicans in the 6th District. In the 2016 election, almost 60 percent of voters supported Roskam in the House election. I don't understand why Sen. Duckworth's town hall meeting was so one-sided. And I can't understand why Rep.Roskam won't host an in-person town hall.

Eric Hochstein

Barrington

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