Hinson says last week’s Mason City town hall was “productive” despite vocal detractors

MASON CITY — North-central Iowa congresswoman Ashley Hinson says last week’s town hall meeting in Mason City was productive despite the divided crowd at North Iowa Area Community College.

Hinson tells Northiowanow.com News that despite tensions flaring right away from detractors that there was positive work done at the event. “When you’re giving remarks that your constituents want to hear and give a legitimate update about the work that I’m doing for folks in Congress. People were yelling about 20 seconds in, they were there to disrupt, they weren’t there to hear what I had to say, and I think that’s unfortunate. What I do think is important is that I continue to do my job, and that means being transparent and accessible, and I thought that town hall was productive because I was able to answer questions from people who support what we are doing and people who had questions about what we are doing, and I will continue to do that.”

Hinson says despite the sometimes uncivil nature of last week’s town hall, she wants to continue doing such meetings to help answer people’s questions.   “Look I think the other thing that’s important is some of the folks who raised concerns to us, we were able to follow up with them and give them an answer to their question. So that is my continued pledge is to give that update and to answer people’s questions honestly and transparently and to follow up with them. I pledge to continue to do town halls in the district because I think that is important.”

Hinson’s district includes Cerro Gordo, Worth, Mitchell, Floyd and Butler counties in our immediate listening area.