Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, is in his fifth term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 3, 2025 at 11:21 am
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U.S. Rep. John Rutherford says he will not hold local town meetings, despite a petition drive that demands he hold one “immediately” for his constituents in Duval and St. Johns counties.
Instead, the four-term Republican congressman said he is more than happy to meet with anyone who schedules a meeting at his Salisbury Road office. Several members of MoveOn.org, the group that is calling for town meetings, have met with him, he said.
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The MoveOn.org petition, created by Anne Tressler, had 1,082 signatures as of Friday. It asks, “How is he speaking for us if he is not hearing from us?” It is signed by “The Constituents of Florida’s 5th Congressional District.”
“People in this district are losing their jobs, losing benefits, and struggling to afford basic necessities,” the petition says. “Rising costs, stagnant wages, and reckless policies are pushing families to the brink. Social Security and Medicare are under attack. Public schools are underfunded. Housing is unaffordable. Meanwhile, those in power REMAIN SILENT.”
Reached Thursday in Washington, D.C., Rutherford said these kinds of meetings are not productive. They did not work during President Donald Trump’s first term, when they attracted many people from Indivisible.org, a grassroots group opposed to Trump’s policies, Rutherford said.
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“They want you to host these town hall meetings, and they will go there and just scream and holler, and act like fools, and I am not going to be a part of that,” Rutherford said. “That is what happened the last time, and I am not going to participate in that. People are welcome to come to my office. I will meet with one, two, three or four people, but I am not going to set up an opportunity for a mob to act out in front of media; ain’t going do it.”
In other parts of the country, Republican lawmakers were assailed at town hall meetings last month when they returned to their districts for the first time since Trump’s swearing-in, the New York Times reported. Many voters — not all of them Democrats — raised concerns about government cutbacks, federal layoffs and Elon Musk’s access to sensitive data.
Tressler, the petition organizer, said people need to be able to talk with Rutherford in these gatherings, because one-on-ones are not possible for many of his constituents.
“It would be great if we could all schedule a meeting — that would be wonderful,” she said. “But what about all of these other people who want a meeting? He doesn’t have that much time. It is very important that there is transparency and accountability. No one wants to berate him. We want to know what’s going on.”
Rutherford’s congressional website has links to set up tours of the Capitol or pose questions about how to get help from federal agencies. There also is an email form to contact his office.
Rutherford previously served 12 years as Jacksonville’s sheriff. At that time, he often held community safety walks with community leaders to talk with residents about local issues.
