By: Bill Sorem, Freelance Journalist

When Dean Phillips announced his candidacy for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, he promised, if elected, to host frequent town halls in the district. Phillips held his fifth town hall meeting on Nov. 23, 2019, at the Brooklyn Park Technical College.

About 200 people joined him in the auditorium. The first question was on impeachment and subsequent questions covered a range of constituents concerns. He began his impeachment answer with the statement. As member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, he participated in the classified hearings on impeachment and he has watched as a spectator the recent public hearing.

He spent much of his time discussing his efforts, some successful to reach across the aisle to work on bi-partisan solutions. He traveled to the border with Republican colleagues and has worked to overcome the partisan divides built into the Congress. He’s a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, 48 members, 24 Republican, 24 Democratic.

He tempered most of his answers with his continued optimism for the well being of the country and the possibility for this Congress to act productively.