Lawler Ends Policy of Banning Non-Resident Press From Town Halls
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Congressman Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) has relented on prohibiting the press from his Town Halls with constituents after several media outlets as well as some district residents criticized him for establishing the ban.
In an announcement late last Friday, Lawler said that his office put a policy in place to prohibit members of the media who were not 17th Congressional District residents to make the forums “as hospitable and welcoming as possible to my constituents.”
He had also asked that no cameras be used during the town hall.
“The goal was to prevent these town halls from being hijacked by out-of-district political grandstanders desperately searching for a viral video clip, and instead geared towards hearing directly from constituents with serious questions or concerns,” Lawler said in his Jan. 5 statement.
“Upon reflection, while well-intentioned, these rules could have been explained and implemented in a better way.”
The prohibition was ended effective immediately, but Lawler’s office has instituted several ground rules for media coverage of his town halls.
- Officially credentialed members of the press will be allowed regardless of their residency, so long as they register with the congressman’s staff ahead of time.
- Cameras and recording devices operated by members of the credentialed press will also be allowed without restriction.
- At the conclusion of each town hall, and after I have had an opportunity to engage with all constituents seeking to speak with me, I will hold a press gaggle and take questions.
- Our rule allowing only 17th Congressional District constituents to attend will still be enforced.
During the past few months, Lawler had been receiving pressure from some members of the media and residents who were highly critical of the policy. In an interview with The Examiner last month at his Rockland County district office, Lawler explained the rationale, which was to make the environment as comfortable as possible for constituents without the danger of opposing operatives or partisans to make a spectacle out of the events.
“My constituents are there to ask me questions and to engage me on any topic that they want to, and for me to answer those questions directly,” he said last month. “Nothing I’ve said in these town halls is anything that I haven’t said in public, anything I haven’t said to reporters.”
In his statement, Lawler mentioned that he had accepted more interview requests from the press than many of his colleagues in the New York State contingent a well as having extensive office hours in each of the district’s four counties.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
