John Faso (photo by Phyllis McCabe)
Congressman John Faso (R-Kinderhook) will hold his largest public town hall event yet Thursday, Aug. 31 at the Esopus Town Hall.
The event, the third public town hall Faso has held since taking office in January, is being coordinated together with the activist group Move Forward New York. A total of 200 tickets will be issued, according to Faso’s office:
- 70 tickets will be distributed by Move Forward New York (contact: mfny19@gmail.com)
- 70 tickets will be distributed by Congressman Faso’s office (contact: 202-225-5614)
- 60 tickets will be distributed at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit one ticket per request.
The event will run from 6:30-8 p.m. The moderators will be Gerald Benjamin, associate vice president for regional engagement and director of the Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz, and Debra Clinton of Move Forward New York.
The program includes a statement of the ground rules, 10 minutes of opening remarks, followed by an hour of Q&A. As attendees sign-in they will have the opportunity to submit questions on index cards. The moderators will alternate selecting questions which will be asked by the person who wrote it. Moderators will determine whether a follow up question is appropriate.
Esopus Town Hall. (Photo by Will Dendis)
In a release announcing these details, Faso’s office hit the theme of civility several times.
“This event is intended to serve ALL residents of New York’s 19th district, including those who may not be able to attend but want to hear from their Congressman – not just to those called on to ask a question, or those in attendance to protest. With this in mind, we will ask that all in attendance respect their neighbors, and act civilly so that as many questions as possible can be asked, answered, and heard. Any person(s) who cannot honor this request for respect and civility will be asked to leave.”
Faso’s release states that no signs will be permitted at the town hall, citing “security reasons.”
The Esopus event will be Faso’s largest and most open town hall yet. The first, held in Troy in April, was attended by 80, and was described as “invite-only” by the Times Union. The following month, Faso held an event at the Kingston Library attended by 100. It was organized by the New York StateWide Senior Action Council which required pre-registration for attendees.
Esopus Town Hall is located at 284 Broadway, Port Ewen, NY 12466.