Walden critics meet to prepare for Bend town hall

A group of people who say they have long waited for Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, to hold a Bend town held a meeting Wednesday evening to discuss Thursday’s event and what they want to ask about.

The gathering was something like a preparedness meeting — they discussed what kind of questions to ask him and how they could frame them to make sure he answers directly during the congressman’s first Bend town hall in four years.

Many of the participants mentioned they’re grateful Walden is coming to Bend, and want to make the most out of the opportunity.

There were several key areas they wanted to address.

“I’m especially concerned about the protections for our air and water and public lands, and protections for workers and for our children,” Bend resident Betsy Warriner said. “Health care for our children and families.”

Another main theme of the night was staying respectful of the congressman and making sure the meeting doesn’t become unruly.

“We want Walden to know our position on these issues,” meeting organizer Noah Goldberg-Jaffe said. “We want him to know that we don’t agree with a lot of what he’s doing in Washington. But we don’t want to be rude. We don’t want to cut him off when he’s talking, and we want to make sure that he’s able to make his positions known as well.”

The town hall meeting will be Thursday from 5-6 p.m. at Mountain View High School in Bend.

NewsChannel 21 will be covering the town hall, and also will have Walden in our studio for a live interview on NewsChannel 21 Fox @ 4.