Story and Video by Bill Sorem

New CD3 Congressman Dean Phillips had promised town halls every month in his district, moving around the area to make it easier for constituents to participate. A crowd of about 300 gave him a standing room only audience in the Gillespie Center in Mound on June 15.

His brief introductory remarks take about his new experiences in Washington and his steadfast refusal of PAC money. He commented on overtures from Republicans Senator Ted Cruz and House member Mark Meadows to work on joint legislation, two members of Congress with strongly opposing political views. Phillips had visited the southern border with a group of Congress members and he says he was deeply moved by what he saw.

Most of the two hour session was spent listening and briefly responding to questions and comments from the audience. The audience was made up of Phillips supporters, primarily, but there were also a number of Republican attendees. One question was from a constituent who had not voted for Phillips and had voted for Donald Trump. The questioner commented on the boarder issues and suggested that Phillips concentrate on a few issues.

Phillips fielded a wide range of issues, referring many of them to his local staff, a group he highly praised; Zach Rodvold, his local Chief of Staff and most of his local staff were present. As was the case in previous town halls, the crowd mobbed him at the end and was reluctant to let him go, Phillips tried to honor the two hour limit on the use of the room.