MacArthur Doesn't Hold Back At Town Meeting In Waretown

WARETOWN, NJ — Rep. Thomas MacArthur did something last night that many of his Congressional colleagues have not done.

He showed up at a Town Meeting in his own district.

MacArthur took questions from Ocean and Burlington County residents for more than two hours. He spoke before hundreds who jammed into the packed Waretown Volunteer Fire Company firehouse on Wells Mill Road.

He had a few ground rules for residents with questions. He asked them to use the microphone, be respectful of their neighbors and that only those in the Third Congressional District ask the questions.

MacArthur had previous said he would not attend any live Town Meetings because he didn't want to be "hijacked" by paid protestors. He wasn't.

And for the most part he spoke bluntly, with no hesitation.

"I am not Donald Trump," MacArthur said. "I am not Paul Ryan. I'm not Hillary Clinton. I'm not Nancy Pelosi. I am Tom MacArthur."

>> RELATED: Couldn't Get To MacArthur's Town Hall? Watch It Here

Barnegat resident Marianne Clemente — who asked the first question — assured MacArthur there are no paid protestors in Ocean County.

"There no one here that's going to hijack you here," she said.

Clemente asked MacArthur if he supports efforts to pare down the federal Environmental Protection Agency and climate change.

He does not support any efforts to either eliminate or reduce the power of the EPA.

"I'm not going to support those things," he said. "That's not to say they couldn't use some work. But I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater."

About 80 people milled outside the fire house unable to get in before MacArthur arrived. But it was clear that some people had a better chance of getting a seat inside then others. Lacey Township Committee members Gary Quinn, Nicholas Juliano, Timothy MacDonald, Mayor Peter Curatolo and Berkeley Township Councilwoman Judith Noonan all had front row seats.

MacArthur made the rounds and shook hands with many of his constituents, past the 6:30 p.m. start time.

"We're waiting for Gary Quinn," one of his aides said to another.

When Quinn arrived, he was escorted to a seat in the front row.

Brick resident David Williams said he was 13th in the line to get in, but half the seats were already full when he finally got in the rooms.

Williams, who is a member of Indivisible NJ 3rd District, said he was disappointed with the venue, access and the inadequate notice the event received

"Instead, he held an event that was announced only one business day ahead of time, and set at a small space in a sparsely populated corner of his district," Williams said. "The venue was front-loaded with supporters who were invited to crash the gate while hundreds of people were waiting outside in the cold. Some of those people were admitted, but many were barred from entry because the venue was already half full by the time the doors opened at this supposedly 'first come, first served' event."

"Indivisible NJ 3rd District is going forward with its scheduled town hall on Friday, March 31, at the Toms River Town Hall cafeteria, and we invite Rep. MacArthur to attend. If we does attend, we will be happy to yield the floor to the congressman," Williams said.

MacArthur said he supports an investigation into what kind of interference the Russians may have had influencing the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, but does not think now is the time for a special independent investigation.

He favors having the FBI and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees investigate the matter first.

"I just want to give them a chance to do their jobs," MacArthur said.

But he didn't mince words when it came to Vladimir Putin.

"Putin is a thug," MacArthur said. "We should be very wary in our dealings with Russia."

>> RELATED: MacArthur Town Hall: Affordable Care Act Repairs Can't Put 21M Most Vulnerable At Risk

One resident asked him if President Trump should release his taxes.

MacArthur said yes.

A woman in the audience thanked MacArthur for holding the town hall meeting.

"It has helped to recolor my opinion," she said. "You seem like a very rational, compassionate man."

She also provided some humor, pressing the congressman for insight into how other members of Congress are viewing Trump's tweeting and other actions, many of which have been called outrageous by the president's detractors.

"I understand why it happened, because of how Congress behaved the last eight years," she said. "It's like Mick Jagger says, 'You can't always get what you want, but you might find you get just what you need.' "

"I can't believe this chaos is acceptable," the woman said. "What is the sense that you're getting? I want to hear the scuttlebutt!"

MacArthur said everyone is trying to figure it out, but said he viewed actions on addressing health care as one of the positives that have comeout of it.

Written by Patricia A. Miller and Karen Wall

Photos by Karen Wall