Editorial: Congressional candidate Ashley Hinson misses the point about visiting counties in the First Congressional District

(The following is a statement of opinion by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott.  Letters to the Editor are accepted as long as they are 300 words or less)

"In Monday's Cedar Rapids Gazette, Congressional candidate Ashley Hinson promises, "If elected to Congress, I will make multiple visits to every county in the district every year." Hinson ignores the reason some Iowans have been complaining about U.S. Senator Charles Grassley's visits to their county in recent years—it's not a question of visiting a county, it's a question of interacting with any resident of that county who wants to talk to their elected officials.

Case in point: When Hinson visited Winneshiek County on September 2nd, it was to eat lunch with around 10 Republicans in the back room at Mabe's. This certainly qualified as "visiting Winneshiek County."  It did not qualify as "meeting with the public," however.

I hesitate to write this editorial during the heat of the campaign season.  But it's important to make sure politicians don't think they get credit for visiting a county and speaking only to supporters.  Grassley's creation of holding town halls in all 99 Iowa counties each year was a big step forward in openness in government.  Meeting with a handful of supporters without telling the public you're in town is a step backward.