Palazzo: Call my office to sit down and talk civilly

228-864-7670. That’s the number to my Biloxi office. If you are a constituent of the Fourth District of Mississippi and want to have a civilized discussion about the issues facing our state and nation with your Congressman, use it. Call my office and set up an appointment.

I am willing to meet with any and all constituents who actually want to sit down and talk. Democrat or Republican and everyone in between, I will meet with you in my office or elsewhere to have a civilized discussion with you.

It’s my job and one I’m honored to do.

Unfortunately, many Democrats across the country, including here at home, don’t want to have a discussion or a debate on the issues. They want to scream and shout and complain. They’ve joined together after losing the presidential election to demand “town halls” from Republican members so they can ridicule them and pack rooms full of activists waving signs and yelling.

However, these “town halls” are no longer used for elected officials to share information and take questions. They have become a forum for the angry left to vent their frustrations over our president and get on camera doing so. These people don’t want answers or action. They want attention.

So, putting my face on a poster and contacting the liberal media isn’t going to get you a meeting. Calling my office will.

I travel throughout the district during constituent work weeks. I speak at Rotaries and Kiwanis and graduations and Eagle Scout ceremonies. I hold “coffees with the Congressman” in cities throughout the district. I take constituent meetings in my office, usually on Mondays and Fridays. I go to event after event after event. Not to seek publicity or media or attention, but because my constituents elected me to do a job, and I’m going to do it to the very best of my ability.

This week, while a few people are putting up wanted posters for me, I’ll be at the Madison County President’s Day event, meeting with key Coast state legislators to collaborate on Mississippi’s federal issues, visiting with the largest Mississippi CPA firm to hear their ideas on the upcoming tax reform bill, visiting with the head of Mississippi’s Highway Patrol to talk about police safety, hosting the chairman of the congressional committee that authorizes every Naval warship we build at Ingalls, doing two days of National Guard drill duty, and speaking in front of 150 young farmers about the importance of agriculture to our state and country.

And if you live in South Mississippi and want to meet, I’ll be meeting with you, too.

Call me. I look forward to it.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Palazzo: Call my office to sit down and talk civilly."