PORT TOWNSEND — Effective ways for members of the public to tell state legislators how they feel about proposed cuts of services will be the topic of a workshop today.
“We have a great opportunity in the state because it has one of the most helpful, user-friendly avenues for people to address their legislators in any state capitol,” said Nancy Amidei, who will lead the free workshop.
“And the legislators want to know what their constituents are thinking.”
The workshop, which is sponsored by an informal coalition of local faith communities, will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Quimper Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Ave., Port Townsend.
Amidei — who recently retired from the University of Washington Social Work faculty, where she started the Civic Engagement Project — is expected to set the stage for developing local citizen action plans by updating those present on the budget-cutting process in Olympia.
The state Legislature, which convened Monday, must balance a budget some $1 billion in the hole.
Severe cuts are expected.
Contact legislators
Those concerned about particular services should contact their legislators with short messages supporting specific endangered programs, Amidei said.
Legislators get a high volume of automated correspondence from special-interest groups, she said, but they will pay attention to any message that is from a human being — especially one in their district.
“A few years ago, I asked a senator how many people it took to write him about an issue before he took notice, and he told me if six or seven people write him about something, he will assign a staff person to investigate,” she said.
Contacting legislators “does make a difference,” Amidei said.
“A legislator who gets a lot of messages about a particular subject will print them all out and take them into a meeting, waving a sheaf of paper and saying, ‘I’m getting pounded about this. We’ve got to take this seriously.’”
There are several ways to communicate with a legislator including telephone, email, the post office and personal visits, but Amidei said the state’s toll-free line, 800-562-6000, is an easy way to communicate.
People who call into that line can leave a message for their legislator which is then sent to that office, giving the representative an idea what people in the district are thinking.
The email format to contact legislators is consistent and is addressed to the same domain; first name, last name followed by the @ sign and leg.wa.gov.
Examples would be steve.tharinger@leg.wa.gov and kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov for the two Sequim Democrats, Steve Tharinger and Kevin Van De Wege, who represent the 24th District in the House of Representatives; and jim.hargrove@leg.wa.gov for Sen. Jim Hargrove, a Democrat from Hoquiam who also represents the district.
The 24th District covers Jefferson and Clallam counties and part of Grays Harbor County.
At the workshop, Amidei will make a presentation and then answer questions before attendees split into small groups concerning specific issues.
Small groups
Opportunities will be provided to consider Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposal for a half-cent sales tax hike proposal as well as long-term efforts for tax law changes aimed at higher rates for wealthy citizens or current tax exemptions.
Areas of concern will include health care, education, public safety, housing, children/youths and seniors.
Amidei served in the 1970s on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs and later in the Carter administration as a deputy assistant secretary in the Health, Education and Welfare Department.
She has directed a national anti-hunger organization, served on a number of national and local nonprofit boards, and provided commentaries on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”
Amidei thinks the ability to contact one’s representatives is an obligation, not just an option.
“There are people in the Middle East who are literally putting their lives on the line to choose their representatives and develop a process about how they are represented,” she said.
“We have those rights in this country, and the fact that some people won’t pick up a phone to leave a message about what they are thinking makes my heart break.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.