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September 16, 2019 03:12 PM UTC

This is What Elected Officials Are Supposed to Do

  • 3 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) held his 100th “Government in the Grocery” event last weekend.

We all get tired of negative news, even if we recognize that the negative aspect of a story might be what makes that story relevant in the first place. Media outlets report on airplane crashes but never list out every flight that landed safely in a given day. “Dog Bites Man” is not a newsworthy headline because it’s not unique, but “Man Bites Dog” will get your attention every time.

It is for similar reasons that we often discuss the inexplicable inaccessibility of Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma), who can be easily located in cardboard form but can be almost impossible to find in real life. It is not normal — nor should it be — for an elected official to be so completely disconnected from his or her constituents. To quote Kyle Clark of 9News:”Citizens shouldn’t have to be detectives to meet with their representatives.”

Or, to put it another way, Sen. Gardner is the “Bizarro” version of Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County).

Perlmutter was first elected in CO-7 in 2006 and hasn’t lost a re-election contest ever since. In fact, Perlmutter has won every one of his re-election bids by at least a double-digit margin. There are many reasons for Perlmutter’s success, but at the top of the list is a very simple explanation: Constituent services. Perlmutter makes it easy for his constituents to find him and goes out of his way to provide assistance — which is exactly what you should expect from your elected official.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter holds a “Government in the Grocery” event in 2007.

Over the weekend, Perlmutter reached a milestone by holding his 100th “Government in the Grocery” event, in which he sets up a table at a grocery store in the district so that constituents can talk to their Congressman directly. From a press release:

Perlmutter started the Government in the Grocery program when he first took office in 2007 in order to better hear from constituents and meet them in their local community. The first Government in the Grocery was held on January 27, 2007 in Wheat Ridge. Perlmutter holds these events on a regular basis at different grocery stores in cities across the 7th Congressional District and meets with constituents one-on-one about whatever is on their mind.

“I believe being accessible and engaging often with constituents is essential to the fabric of our democracy,” said Perlmutter. “The Government in the Grocery program is an easy and convenient way for constituents to share their concerns, ideas and questions and, in turn, makes me a better representative.”

Congratulations, and kudos, to Congressman Perlmutter.

Comments

3 thoughts on “This is What Elected Officials Are Supposed to Do

  1. I went to one of Ed's appearances some months ago. They're pretty laid back and a lot of fun. As usual, there is a line, but not very long. No one seemed upset about having to take their turn. 

  2. We love Ed! It is also notable that Ed has continued these "Government in the Grocery" events even after Gabby Giffords was shot a similar event at a Safeway grocery in Arizona in 2011. It would be very easy and understandable for him to conclude that his personal safety does not allow for one on ones with people that are not paying to talk to him. Ed and others that make themselves available to their constituents, even the ones that want to complain, are true public servants. The others, and we know who they are, that hide, only to appears when they are fundraising, are something else. 

  3. I think Jason Crow has wisely adopted Ed's constituent service approach holding numerous town halls, constituent meetings, etc.  That will pay off for Jason (and Ed) in November, 2020.

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