Rep. Williams to hold virtual town hall on Tuesday

Residents of the 22nd Legislative District - which includes the northern portion of Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater - will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual town hall with Rep. Brendan Williams on Tuesday, July 14.

At around 6:00 p.m., Rep. Williams will call nearly 30,000 households in the district and invite them to stay on the line with him for a live town hall. He will update participants on the state budget and the recently-concluded 2009 Legislative Session. Participants will also have the opportunity to press *3 to ask Rep. Williams a question directly.

The more technically-inclined can follow the town hall right here on The Advance and post questions for Rep. Williams on the liveblog.

Virtual town halls - also known as "tele town halls" - aren't a replacement for traditional in-person meetings. But they offer elected officials another method to communicate with constituents, and make it easier for people to have a chance to speak directly with their state representative without having to drive anywhere or arrange for child care. Other House members who have taken advantage of this new technology include Rep. Marko Liias, Rep. Laura Grant, Rep. Larry Seaquist and Rep. Deb Wallace.

House welcomes Grant-Herriot as new 16th District representative

A busy House welcomed newly-appointed Rep. Laura Grant-Herriot with a round of applause and full day of floor action. Grant-Herriot, D-Walla Walla, was picked to fill the 16th District seat left vacant by the passing of her father and long-time member, Rep. Bill Grant.

“I have a lot of work to do, including getting to know the other 146 members of the Legislature. Thankfully, due to the relationships that my father had already developed, they already know the issues I want to talk about,” Grant-Herriot said.

“Farms are hurting, our schools deserve continued support, and my neighbors want us to come home with a balanced and responsible budget.”

For information can be found here:
House welcomes Grant-Herriot as new 16th District representative