When I went down to the Farmington City Hall on Wednesday afternoon to attend Rep. Ben Ray Luján's office hours, I wasn't doing so as a journalist or as an employee of The Daily Times. I went solely as a private citizen who cares about the issues facing this country and who wanted to speak with Mr. Luján about his work in Washington on my behalf.
Of course, it's not just my behalf. The area Luján represents is gargantuan. Still, he is my representative in Congress, so when I learned he'd be having five-minute one-on-one meetings with constituents, I decided to go and talk with him.
I pulled up in front of City Hall at about 12:35 p.m. I took a later lunch break so I could make this trip. I wasn't incredibly hopeful though, and told myself that if it looked like the wait was going to be long, I'd take a pass on the meeting and actually use my lunch break for its intended purpose. Of course, this sacrifice would've been completely unnecessary if the congressman had taken into account that many of his constituents are employed, and had scheduled his time accordingly. In this economy I don't blame him for thinking otherwise.
My hopes brightened when I first walked into the room, as there was only a small handful of people there. A smiling Luján staffer was checking people in and assigning us numbers. I didn't see which number was seeing the congressman at the moment, but I was assigned No. 13. Assuming they stuck to the five-minute meeting schedule, that would
I sat down and fiddled with my Blackberry. More and more people began to show up. There was some quiet conversation, but the mood was fairly subdued. Not anything like the shouting crowds you've seen on CNN videos of town hall meetings.
That didn't last long.
The first sign I saw of a souring mood was when the man sitting next to me suddenly and violently stood up, slammed his survey form into the trash and stormed out of the room.
It was all downhill from there.
The conversation began getting louder in the small room, which was getting hot and stuffy as more people arrived. People began raising their voices, wondering aloud to no one in particular why the congressman didn't just come out and speak to us as a group.
The lone Luján staffer was doing a good job of disarming attacks on him by being cheerful and personable, but every now and then other staff members would emerge from the ominous door to the room where Luján was conducting his meetings. Those men received nothing but dirty looks.
I looked at my watch. It was 1:25 p.m. Someone remarked that Luján was still meeting with No. 6, meaning some of these spots were going significantly longer than five minutes. Meanwhile, No. 42 was signed in. By the same math I had used to calculate my time, No. 42 would not be seen until 4:25 p.m., almost an hour after the advertised end of the office hours. I was looking at a 2 p.m. meeting. I hope No. 42 wasn't on a lunch break like I was.
Someone else must have done the same mental calculations I did, because a man stood up and angrily confronted a Luján staffer as he opened the door to call the next number. His voice at a near-yell, he informed the staffer that the last interview had taken 15 minutes, and that there was no way everyone was going to be able to see the congressman. He asked if Luján was scared to talk to us and trying to save himself the embarrassment of being seen in front of a crowd of angry constituents.
The way this man registered his complaint showed he was more interested in what the crowd thought of what he said than the staffer. But I think he had every right to say what he said and every right to be angry. I was angry, too. And I actually agree with Luján on most of his platforms.
I don't blame Luján for trying to avoid the fiasco that town hall meetings have become for lawmakers as of late, but there must be an easier way. Five-minute one-on-ones is an inelegant system, and if the time length isn't enforced, it looks like you're favoring some people over others.
Whether it was the intent or not, this system has the appearance of cowardice. And as a politician, Luján shouldn't need a lecture from me on the importance of appearance.
At 1:50 p.m., I again asked what number they were up to. The staffer said with an embarrassed expression that he was up to No. 8. There was no way I'd get in now any earlier than 2:15 p.m., at which point I would've been away from work for almost an hour forty-five.
I left City Hall feeling Lujánless and hungry, having wasted my lunch break. I left behind a hot and humid room with a lot of angry people in it who were getting louder and louder.
I hope the congressman had an escape plan, but judging by the level of preparation I saw today, I doubt it.
Patrick Hogan is the online editor of The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627, or at phogan@daily-times.com
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