Telephone conference calls, questions-and-answers in a public forum, one-on-one meetings with private citizens — the four members of Kansas' congressional delegation each has his own way of interacting with constituents, hearing their questions and providing answers when they can.

But some representatives communicate better than others, and if a Kansas Liberty survey of constituent meeting styles is any indication, a bad meet-and-greet can leave constituents with a bitter aftertaste.

Of Kansas' four representatives in Washington, D.C., none may be more directly accessible than Jerry Moran, the Republican from the First District, who said he preferred "town hall"-type meetings when he needs to discuss issues with his constituents.

How often does he do this? “Sixty-nine times each year I conduct town hall meetings — one in each county of the First District,” Moran told Kansas Liberty. “The town hall is usually at a senior center, a city courthouse or a local café. I usually speak for a few minutes and then take questions and comments from any and all attendees. I like this format as it often results in a discussion among those in attendance.”

Moran said he also meets with his constituents on a one-on-one basis, and that these meetings generally take place in his Washington, D.C., offices as well as in Kansas.

“Often these involve ‘case work’ when an individual citizen has a problem with a specific government agency,” Moran said.

When it comes to constituent contact, Fourth District Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt phones it in. He holds several “telephone town halls” each year where thousands of constituents are placed in a conference call with Tiahrt.

“Everyone who is on the telephone town hall can hear questions asked by the constituents as well as his responses,” Tiahrt’s spokesperson Sam Sackett told Kansas Liberty. “This allows him to literally talk with tens of thousands of his constituents on issues happening in Washington, D.C., from the comfort of their own homes.”

Sackett said Tiahrt also holds one-on-one meetings with his constituents in his Washington, D.C., office, his Kansas office and via satellite.

“Mr. Tiahrt is very diligent in responding to his constituents on where he stands on the issues,” Sackett said.

Mary Geiger, spokesperson for Republican Second District Rep. Lynn Jenkins, said Jenkins communicates with her constituents in a variety of ways.

"In addition to meeting with and speaking to groups in the district, the congresswoman also holds regular telephone town hall meetings, responds to all incoming mail from constituents, meets with folks visiting her offices and sends weekly e-newsletters," Geiger told Kansas Liberty.

Sometimes, things don't go quite so smoothly. For example, Dennis Moore, the Democrat representing the Third District, made himself available for questions by hosting a constituent gathering Saturday in Shawnee, Kan.

But instead of a general town hall meeting, like Moran's public question-and-answer forums, Moore met with Kansans and answered questions privately. The problem was, it left many constituents upset and disappointed.

Moore's "constituent forum" lasted from 2:30 to 4 p.m. but by 3 o'clock, there was a small group outside the building complaining about the lack of accountability provided by the type of meeting.

"What has happened with the transparency the Democrats have been pushing for?" asked Pam Howell, an Olathe resident who showed up at the forum. "I can't ask him a question and have his response heard by anyone. This is just a big joke."

Howell's friend JoAnne Christensen said she was also angry that Moore was answering questions in private instead of letting others hear the exchanges. She said that although Moore often responds to letters or questions she sends to his office, Saturday's event lessened her respect for Moore.

"I am just very wary of this process," she said.

Kenneth Kasper, an Overland Park resident, agreed.  "I would like to ask a question and have other people hear the answer to it," Kasper said.

"Or rather have other people hear him refuse to answer it," quipped Robert Leguillon.

Theresa Benefield, a Merriam resident, stormed out angrily after being told Moore would not be able to meet with her because of time constraints. Benefield was number 46 in the line to ask Moore questions.

"I took time out of my weekend to come here and he couldn't even give me two minutes," she said. "He needs to extend his time to address these very valid issues that we have questions about and that touch us deeply. And he needs to do that in public so he's not giving me one answer, and someone else a completely different answer to the same question."

In fact, some of the angry constituents who did manage to get in to ask a question weren't very happy with the responses.

One small group of protesters, including Leguillon and lead by grassroots activist Amanda Grosserode, formed outside the meeting. Grosserode said she had been able to meet with Moore but that she was only given two minutes to speak with Moore and that the congressman failed to answer her questions.

"He refused to be nailed down by anything," Grosserode said. "He really doesn't answer the question, and we deserve to hear every question from each person and every response he gives."

Moore's office did not respond to Kansas Liberty's requests for comments on why Moore prefers this manner of communicating with his constituents.

- Holly Smith

The Week in Review