To: William Doyle, Director Of Constituent Services and Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY-1)
Stop Attempting to Bully Constituents
My first encounter with the staff of my local representative was eye opening. I had heard stories of "tactics" used to bully constituents before but I truly thought this was more of an exception than a rule. This couldn't be the case where I live, right??? Wrong!
I was amazed to find that it is in fact a practice after a toe to toe encounter with the "Director of Constituent Services" William Doyle in the 1st District of NY as I dropped off a petition requesting a town hall. I met with him and an aid to simply explain the purpose of the petition and discuss when we can expect a reply. This, in my mind, should have been a quick, polite encounter and mostly a formality. Instead I was interrupted relentlessly, conclusions were jumped to before I finished a thought, an attempt to put words in mouth was consistently attempted and ultimately I was repeatedly accused of calling the gentleman a liar when I simply asked a question about an incident he alleges happened at a peaceful rally where police presence was requested ahead of time by the organizers. The irony of this all is that I was there to request a town hall meeting with our representative so that an open dialogue can happen and that everyone can be heard. We initially agreed that the town hall need to be peaceful and that people needed to ask thoughtful questions and also be heard. While I was calm and thoughtful in my questions and replies the Director Of Constituent Services did not provide me with this courtesy in our meeting yet he demands it as a prerequisite of a town hall.
This is just my story. I understand that there are many similar ones. Is this a trend? It appears so. And it needs to stop!
I was amazed to find that it is in fact a practice after a toe to toe encounter with the "Director of Constituent Services" William Doyle in the 1st District of NY as I dropped off a petition requesting a town hall. I met with him and an aid to simply explain the purpose of the petition and discuss when we can expect a reply. This, in my mind, should have been a quick, polite encounter and mostly a formality. Instead I was interrupted relentlessly, conclusions were jumped to before I finished a thought, an attempt to put words in mouth was consistently attempted and ultimately I was repeatedly accused of calling the gentleman a liar when I simply asked a question about an incident he alleges happened at a peaceful rally where police presence was requested ahead of time by the organizers. The irony of this all is that I was there to request a town hall meeting with our representative so that an open dialogue can happen and that everyone can be heard. We initially agreed that the town hall need to be peaceful and that people needed to ask thoughtful questions and also be heard. While I was calm and thoughtful in my questions and replies the Director Of Constituent Services did not provide me with this courtesy in our meeting yet he demands it as a prerequisite of a town hall.
This is just my story. I understand that there are many similar ones. Is this a trend? It appears so. And it needs to stop!
Why is this important?
I am starting this petition as an honest attempt to change the tone of exchanges when we (the constituents) visit our local representatives. Bullying tactics by elected officials and their staff are NOT acceptable. Many of us are working hard for positive change for our local and federal government. We are engaged in this process and are passionate about the various issues now facing us locally and nationally. We simply want to be heard, ask questions and understand where our representative stands on various issues. We should not have to FIGHT and put up with bullying tactics in order to be heard…especially when we are visiting them in our free time and during our lunch breaks! Bullying tactics are not conducive to listening to constituents. Let's change the tone and how we treat one another otherwise how will we ever have a productive conversation?