Demonstrators at Tony Wied's office protest congressman's lack of face-to-face with constituents
LAWRENCE ― About 50 people protested outside U.S. Rep. Tony Wied's local office Wednesday afternoon, in what the organizers characterized as "Tony Wied won't come to us, so we're going to him."
The protest along Scheuring Road in the town of Lawrence was organized by Indivisible Brown County, a local chapter of the national progressive advocacy group called Indivisible, "to demand accountability and visibility" from the Republican congressman.
It was the latest of several local demonstrations following the congressman's first town hall, which was held over the phone March 10. They protested what 12 demonstrators told the Press-Gazette was the congressman's unwillingness to engage in dialogue about their concerns that ranged widely from potential cuts to Medicaid and Social Security to privacy concerns over Elon Musk's role in government.
Many who the Press-Gazette talked to recounted contacting the congressman's staff in Washington or De Pere over email or the phone and being met with either no response or replies unspecific to the concern they brought up.
"I'll pass it along" was a common response to their questions or concerns, they said. Some said they reached out multiple times and received what they characterized as canned responses.
Wied's predecessor in the seat, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, also a Republican, had more thoughtful engagements with his critics, some said.
"The first week that (Gallagher) was in office," said Reid Schoonover from Clintonville, "my wife and I sat down with Gallagher and had a very good conversation. Things went downhill from there, but at least he was caring enough about his constituents that he would want the best for them."
Schoonover said he exclusively sent letters to Gallagher, and now Wied, to address his concerns because he felt the printed word was more effective at getting responses. He pulled out a letter from his truck dated March 17 asking Wied for assurances "in the form of a meaningful answer given, and provided in a timely manner," that Wied would support the continuation of benefits like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for veterans like himself.
Schoonover took out a copy of a March 25 email from Wied saying that, "As your Representative, I will fight to ensure that veterans are properly in recognition of their sacrifices to this country. I will review every proposal regarding veterans affairs with care and consideration. Your input helps to inform my efforts as I work to represent our district in Congress."
In a statement sent to the Press-Gazette prior to the protest, Wied characterized the umbrella organization of Indivisible as a, "dark money, far-left activist organization that does not represent the interests of my constituents."
Indivisible's "About" page describes itself as a national "progressive grassroots movement" founded after President Donald Trump's first election into office that partners with "thousands of autonomous local Indivisible groups" across the country. In addition to its campaign-oriented operations, the organization is associated with a PAC called Indivisible Action whose aim is to elect progressive candidates, according to the organization's website.
Wied continued in his statement that, "In addition to our recent tele-town hall, which reached tens of thousands of constituents, my office answers hundreds of calls daily to listen to people's opinions and assist them with their needs. Since the beginning of the year, my office has been able to resolve hundreds of complex constituent cases and has responded to tens of thousands of inquires. I am committed to working every day with the best interests of Wisconsin's 8th District in mind, and I will always encourage the people of (northeastern) Wisconsin to contact my office and voice their opinions so I am able to best represent them."
"This guy and the tele-town halls, forget it," said Mark Taylor of Sturgeon Bay. "He doesn't have the courage to get in front of his constituents even though his decisions affect people's health."
The Press-Gazette received several unsolicited emails and phone calls during and immediately after the town hall from 8th Congressional District constituents saying their questions were screened and the event lacked the intimacy of a traditional in-person town hall. Following coverage of the town hall, the Press-Gazette received four more emails and two phone calls characterizing the event as not appropriate to engage with concerns across the entire political spectrum of the 8th Congressional District.
The congressman's decision to hold a town hall over the phone came after Republican legislators across the nation were met with anger from their constituents during in-person events over federal cuts, causing Republican leadership to advise party members to not hold in-person town halls. Some of Wied's colleagues, including Rep. Tom Tiffany who joined Wied's call-in town hall as a guest, said they would still hold in-person events despite the guidance.
"When you're elected to office, you represent everybody: Republicans, independents, Democrats," said Carol Spice of De Pere, who self-described as an independent but said has recently voted for Democrats consistently. "Their attitude is still campaigning for their people," she said of the Republican Party. "The rest of us, I guess, can go to hell. I guess when we're out here, (Wied) thinks it's personal. What the hell?"
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. Contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Protest at Tony Wied office due to lack of in-person town hall events
