Wyden, Bynum hold ‘packed’ town halls in Oregon

OREGON CITY, Ore. (KOIN) — Hundreds of people lined up outside the Clackamas Community College Sunday afternoon to get a seat at a town hall with Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and US Rep. Janelle Bynum.

Some of those attending, like G. Thomas Williams, told KOIN 6 News they were in line for hours just to make sure they got in for the 5:30 p.m. event.

“I did not vote to elect this president, but I’m still an American citizen. He still is my president and still represents me and made promises that I want to make sure kept,” Williams said. “17% of my income comes from overtime, and he promised to eliminate taxes on overtime. I’m not a server. I don’t get tips. But there are lots of people that we’re expecting to get relief on taxes on their tips, income.”

Wyden and Bynum began their day at the community college in Linn County, which was the first town hall Bynum has done since she began the representative for Oregon’s 5th District. A staffer told KOIN 6 News that town hall “was packed.”

On Tuesday, Wyden will be in Crook and Deschutes counties for more open-to-all town halls.

Organizers said these were the largest venues available for these four town halls on these dates, but space may be limited. At a recent town hall, Wyden drew nearly 3000 people, and many town halls in Oregon and elsewhere have seen overflow crowds.

Earlier this week on Capitol Hill, Wyden grilled Dr. Mehmet Oz during his confirmation hearing to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Wyden asked Oz if he agreed “there should be nursing homes without nurses?” When Oz began his answer by saying, “It’s a complicated question,” Wyden interrupted.

“No, it’s not,” Wyden said. “We need a nurse in a nursing home. That’s not too complicated.”

Editor’s Note: An earlier version said Bynum will be with Wyden at all 4 town halls. Rep. Bynum will appear with Sen. Wyden only at the Sunday town halls.