OPINION: Andy Kim is A Breath of Fresh Ocean Air

A letter to the editor by Stacey Kalb of Beachwood, NJ

I recently attended Congressman Andy Kim’s town hall at Adrian Hall in Ocean Gate, Ocean County, New Jersey. What a breath of Fresh Ocean Air to see a United States Congressman without a major entourage of gatekeepers or police escort blocking access to our representative. Congressman Kim spoke to a standing room only crowd enumerating all the bills he has worked on since he took office and the work he continues to champion in the Armed Services Committee and Small Business Committee. He also spoke in great detail about his bi-partisan efforts in trying to overturn the SALT deduction cap, lowering prescription drug costs, transportation issues for veterans that have to travel more than an hour and half to see medical specialists and the travel expenses incurred in doing so, Federal Flood Insurance Program, and overturning Citizens United case to keep dark money out of our elections.

But what struck me the most about Congressman Kim was his attentiveness to detail and empathy to the problems and issues his constituents’ raised during the question and answer session at the end of the Town Hall. Congressman Kim carries a notebook and writes down each constituent’s name and question as they take the microphone and divulge to a room full of strangers their dire need for his help. Not once during the question and answer session did the Congressman placate a constituent, make false promises or claim to have all the answers.

Instead, he stayed at the Town Hall till every constituent was heard, took contact information from the people whose issues needed to be researched and continued to remind his constituents they were his boss and that he works for them. Like I said earlier, what a breath of fresh Ocean Air to spend three hours with a Congressman who does not talk partisan and reminds you that he works for you.

Editor’s note: The opinions in this letter are the author’s only.

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