Setting record straight on town hall

A recent letter, “Comparing Corman, Thompson town halls” (CDT 8/17), makes some wildly inaccurate claims surrounding the WPSU televised town hall on Aug. 10. The record needs to be set straight.

The author clearly overlooked the fact that the event was hosted by WPSU, which was responsible for the logistics, including ticketing.

His suggestion that the security “was intimidating” begs the question as to whether he also feels intimidated at Penn State football games. The security staff responsible for checking in the audience work home football games. They came at the recommendation of Penn State police, who also were present, as they are at any other widely attended event on campus.

WPSU was also responsible for setting its code of conduct for the audience and participants. This is because WPSU was taping a live TV program. It also helped facilitate an environment where individuals were free to express their opinions and ask questions of the congressman without disruption.

The author may have set out to cast aspersions against Mr. Thompson, but in reality he took an undue swipe at the hard working men and women of WPSU who made the town hall possible. They provided an opportunity for respectful dialogue and brought the event to 515,000 households and 450,000 radio listeners across the commonwealth. This was no small feat and WPSU should be congratulated, not condemned.

Matthew Brennan is chief of staff for Congressman Glenn Thompson.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 10:43 PM with the headline "Setting record straight on town hall."