Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short will host a town hall over the phone for their constituents Monday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.  To participate, callers should call toll-free 1-877-229-8493 and then enter pin number 15429.

The legislators will use new technology to communicate with constituents about the issues they’re facing in Olympia.  The call works much like a call-in radio show, where participants ask questions of Kretz and Short directly during the hour.

"We have some difficult issues in front of us this session," said Kretz, R-Wauconda. "State government and the role it plays in our everyday lives continues to grow, while family budgets and the jobs available in our district continue to shrink.  I’m looking forward to hearing from folks back home on what they think the priorities of state government should be and how our government can be reformed.”

The hour-long call will include legislative updates, a few survey questions and live questions from callers.

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, said the telephone town hall will allow legislators to touch base with residents who might otherwise be unable to travel to Olympia to express their opinions and problems firsthand.

“The 7th District is the largest legislative district in the state,” said Short.  “I put several thousand miles on my truck during the interim as I travelled around meeting with constituents, and yet I know there were many people that we haven’t heard from.  This technology allows us to touch base with folks from the convenience and comfort of their own homes.”

Both Kretz and Short said that their main priorities this session will be to reduce government spending and implement policies that help get people back to work.

“We’ve got some ideas to make ‘Made in Washington’ mean something again – ideas that will get people back to work,” said Short.  “But we also want to hear ideas and concerns from constituents.  Some of the best ideas for reform or for changing government come from the people back home who are affected by the rules and regulations implemented in Olympia.”

The 7th District legislators said they saw a high level of participation last session when they first utilized this forum, and they invite all citizens and members of the media to participate if able.

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For more information, contact: Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7698