Central Oregonian

Walden holds town hall at Prineville Kiwanis meeting

Jason Chaney

January 24, 2013

U.S. Representative Greg Walden held a town hall on Thursday afternoon during the Prineville Kiwanis Club meeting at Meadow Lakes Restaurant.

Kiwanis Club representatives from Bend, Redmond, Madras and Sisters attended the event as well City of Prineville and Crook County officials and members of the Rotary Club of Crook County, the Crook County Lions Club.

Walden launched the meeting with a light-hearted and humorous recount of his experiences meeting pop culture celebrities at President Obama's inauguration and followed that by highlighting recent issues that Congress now faces.

He referenced the current national debt and stressed a need to curb government spending and balance the federal budget. He also updated the audience on issues specifically relevant tot Crook County such as the current status of Bowman Dam legislation and plans to address forest health.

Walden then opened the floor to audience questions. People asked him about his plans for spending cuts and balancing the federal budget as well as the shrinking Social Security and Medicare trust funds.

Toward the end of the meeting, he was asked about his stance on recent gun control legislation proposals. He emphasized that the government should focus more on mental health care in order to reduce the likelihood of violent acts like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut.

Walden has scheduled a second appearance in Prineville at the Soroptimist Senior Center, at 2 p.m.

A full story on both town halls will appear in the Tuesday, Jan. 29 edition of the Central Oregonian.