By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
ETNA GREEN — Congressmn Rudy Yakym’s staff continues to hold “Office Hours” throughout the district despite a momentarily chaotic meetings in Warsaw and Plymouth two months ago.
The “Office Hours” tradition is a way for staff to meet with constituents to talk about specific problems with federal services such as veterans benefits.
The lack of town halls, though has led some people to vent their frustrations at the “Office Hours” events.
While many congressional lawmakers — including Yakym — are refusing to hold large-scale town hall meetings, some elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith have done so recently and were assailed by large groups over President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging policy changes put forth in recent months.
Despite some turbulence at the Warsaw meeting two months ago and another that same day in Plymouth, Yakym’s office has continued to host office hours in different parts of the district.
Last month, staffers were back in Warsaw and faced numerous people who wanted to talk policy. And once again staff held one-one discussions in the city hall council chambers with folks who had policy concerns.
In Etna Green, Tuesday’s one-on-one meetings with a Yakym staffer, Marty Schultz, were held in closed-door sessions in a room in the town hall building.
About five people attended Tuesday’s meeting.
News Now Warsaw tried to talk with Schultz after everyone had had a chance to speak, but he refused to talk, directed questions to District Director Griffin Nate and then slammed the door of the room shut.
Nate, reached by phone, talked about the difficulties his staff has faced in recent weeks.
“We went to Plymouth (and) there were over 150 people who were screaming obscenities and it was absolutely absurd behavior,” Nate said.
“This also follows two darn-near violent attacks on staffers at our office. Abusive language used against my team over and over and over again on the phone. I’ve had interns cussed out, screamed at. It’s just been obscene.”
Recent office hour events appear to have been more civil.
Nate was asked if the ongoing meetings represented a compromise of sorts.
He didn’t answer that question but addressed the overall issue.
“We will continue to take feedback, but … what we will not tolerate is when people cross the line and that’s when I’m going to shut everything done is when people cross the line,” he said.
He said he believes his staff has done a good job handling the situations.
He said he believed the turbulent meetings in Warsaw and Plymouth were coordinated and that to a certain degree, the same people have kept showing up.
Two people who had attended the Warsaw meeting two months ago were at the Etna Green meeting Tuesday and conveyed their concerns. Those were Kosciusko County Democratic Party Chairwoman and Don Guthrie who serves as vice chair.
Guthrie said he was there to voice his concerns as a constituent.
Guthrie said he was able to express his concerns but thought Schultz seemed more agitated compared to the last meeting held in Warsaw.
