By By Kerry Whipple Bean
publisher
With crowds attending the first day of a series of town hall meetings hosted by U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, his office has changed the location for a meeting in East Brewton.
Bonner will greet constituents at the East Brewton Civic Center, rather than East Brewton City Hall, a smaller venue.
Amid a summer of angry town hall meetings hosted by lawmakers in their local districts,   Bonner is touring the first Congressional district this week for his own series of town halls.
The main topic on the first day, spokeswoman Nancy Wall said, has been health care reform.
Bonner is scheduled to speak from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday in East Brewton. He has 19 town hall meetings scheduled throughout the week.
Members of Congress often schedule town hall-style meetings in their districts during their August recess.
This year many lawmakers — mostly Democrats — have been met with angry constituents at their town halls this summer, with questions almost exclusively about healthcare reform.
Some have argued that many of the “constituents” are actually part of out-of-district grassroots groups opposed to healthcare reform.
In his column this week, Bonner said he expects to have large crowds at his meetings and welcomes the interaction with residents in his district.
Congress is expected to take up the issue of healthcare reform again when members return from their recess.