Additional Information:
Congressman LaLota’s office has issued the following information about participating in the tele-town hall:
Participating in Our Tele-Town Halls:
Constituents who sign up to participate in our town halls may receive up to two phone calls:
- A phone call the day before the event (if signing up early enough) to notify the constituent of the upcoming town hall.
- A phone call minutes before the event begins to participate in the live tele-town hall.
- During the call:
- Dial *3 to ask a question.
- Dial *6 to sign up for our newsletter!
Other Ways to Participate:
- You may watch the live stream of the tele-town hall on our website at: https://lalota.house.gov/townhall
- A chat box will appear to submit a question through the website.
Original Story:
After a President’s Week filled with protests demanding Congressman Nick LaLota hold an in-person town hall, the representative’s office announced that he will hold a tele-town hall on Wednesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. Constituents can participate by signing up at lalota.house.gov/townhall.
The protests began Monday, Feb. 17, George Washington’s birthday, outside Mr. LaLota’s district office in Hauppauge, and continued Tuesday as he announced the start of emergency dredging of Montauk Harbor at Inlet Seafood in Montauk.
Pictured Above: Nick LaLota in Washington in better weather. |. Nick LaLota campaign photo via Facebook
Since taking office in 2023, Mr. LaLota has taken a page from former Congressman and now EPA Director Lee Zeldin in declining to hold in-person public meetings with constituents. Mr. Zeldin’s last round of public town hall appearances, in April of 2017, filled halls where he was asked pointed questions about his support for President Donald Trump’s policies in his first term. Mr. LaLota has yet to hold an in-person town hall.
The Monday protest was organized by groups including Long Island Network for Change and Suffolk Progressives, and organizers said Mr. LaLota’s constituents “want to know where their Congressman stands on key actions in Washington that will adversely affect their lives. Wholesale freezes on congressionally allocated funds across broad sectors of our government will impact jobs throughout Long Island and threaten every resident’s health, safety and security,” according to a statement from the organizers. “CD1 constituents are particularly alarmed about the proposed massive cuts to the National Institutes of Health, cuts that will mean layoffs and substantial economic damage to Stony Brook University and Brookhaven Lab, both vital engines of economic activity in our district.”
The East Hampton Town Democratic Committee, which helped to organize the Montauk protest, said it was “deeply grateful for the joint effort made by East Hampton Town Councilman David Lys, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. LaLota to expedite emergency dredging of the Montauk Inlet channel by the Army Corps of Engineers, but we are also deeply concerned by the real world effects of President Trump’s harmful executive orders on Long Islanders. Constituents of New York’s 1st Congressional District need to hear directly from their Congressman about how he intends to protect us from the impacts of Trump’s freezing of federal funds and gutting of federal agencies. Rep. LaLota works for the people, not the president. He has held zero in-person town halls since first taking office in 2023 and it’s long past time that he did so.”
In a fundraising email Wednesday morning to supporters, Mr. LaLota said his office has recently “seen protests with some pretty nasty rhetoric from groups like Suffolk Progressives, Progressive East End Reformers, and the LI Progressive Coalition. Their signs and shouts aim more to provoke than to solve real issues, demonstrating their intentions to resist and disrupt the progress our nation needs.”
The email included photographs of several signs in the crowd outside the Congressman’s office Monday, some of which included the f-word, and others with slogans like “America fights Nazis, we don’t work with them,” “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “hot girls hate fascists.”
“As your Congressman, I’m committed to common-sense conservative policies that ensure the safety and economic well-being of all law abiding American citizens. This includes advocating for a secure border, fighting inflation and supporting responsible spending cuts,” the email continued, before asking for donations to “support a future of real results over radical disruption.”
Mr. LaLota’s office said later that day that “all five protest leaders declined his Thursday offer to meet face-to-face in LaLota’s district office,” stating that the new tele-town hall is his “21st Town Hall meeting since taking office.”
“While I’m disappointed that the protest leaders declined my invitation to engage in a respectful discussion, I’m deeply troubled by the hateful and inappropriate signs displayed during their demonstration, including references to Nazis and explicit imagery. Such divisive tactics do nothing to foster meaningful conversation. I believe in addressing issues with respect and dignity, which is why I’m offering my 21st Town Hall on March 5th, where over 10,000 constituents can come together to have a real, productive dialogue,” said LaLota.
“It’s a shame that Congressman LaLota continues to avoid having a public in person town hall,” responded the organizers of the rallies in a Feb. 21 statement. “On President’s Day, for many their only day off from work, hundreds of CD 1 constituents from across the political spectrum showed up at Congressman LaLota’s office to ask him to hear their concerns and those of their neighbors. Instead of a serious response, the congressman posted attacks on social media to divide his constituents. He appears only interested in having a brief closed door meeting during a work day. With less than 24 hour notice to rearrange their schedules, those who did receive the invite had to decline, while other groups received no such invitation at all.”
“Residents of Congressional District 1 continue to invite Congressman Lalota to show up for his constituents and hold an in-person public town hall to address their questions and concerns around the unprecedented actions of Elon Musk and the Trump Administration, which are harming the working families of Congressional District 1 and the very foundations of our democracy,” they added. “At this unprecedented moment, it is imperative that the congressman hear the voices of as wide array of constituents as possible, not just those pre-selected for a private meeting or a carefully scripted virtual town hall.”
Mr. LaLota’s office said late Wednesday that “all five protest leaders declined his Thursday offer to meet face-to-face in LaLota’s district office,” stating that the new tele-town hall is his “21st Town Hall meeting since taking office.”
“While I’m disappointed that the protest leaders declined my invitation to engage in a respectful discussion, I’m deeply troubled by the hateful and inappropriate signs displayed during their demonstration, including references to Nazis and explicit imagery. Such divisive tactics do nothing to foster meaningful conversation. I believe in addressing issues with respect and dignity, which is why I’m offering my 21st Town Hall on March 5th, where over 10,000 constituents can come together to have a real, productive dialogue,” said LaLota.
“It’s a shame that Congressman LaLota continues to avoid having a public in person town hall,” said the organizers of the East End rallies in a statement Thursday. “On President’s Day, for many their only day off from work, hundreds of CD 1 constituents from across the political spectrum showed up at Congressman LaLota’s office to ask him to hear their concerns and those of their neighbors. Instead of a serious response, the congressman posted attacks on social media to divide his constituents. He appears only interested in having a brief closed door meeting during a work day. With less than 24 hour notice to rearrange their schedules, those who did receive the invite had to decline, while other groups received no such invitation at all.”
“Residents of Congressional District 1 continue to invite Congressman Lalota to show up for his constituents and hold an in-person public town hall to address their questions and concerns around the unprecedented actions of Elon Musk and the Trump Administration, which are harming the working families of Congressional District 1 and the very foundations of our democracy,” they added. “At this unprecedented moment, it is imperative that the congressman hear the voices of as wide array of constituents as possible, not just those pre-selected for a private meeting or a carefully scripted virtual town hall.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new developments over the course of the week of Feb. 17 through Feb. 21.
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