Health care town halls tonight, tomorrow aim to keep the peace

Two Hampton Roads congressmen holding town hall meetings on health care this week are developing formats for their events but they haven't made requests to bolster security.

Tonight, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican from Westmoreland County, will hold a public meeting at Christopher Newport University in Newport News. On Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Newport News whose district includes part of Norfolk and Portsmouth, holds his meeting at a Newport News cultural arts center.

Recent health care town hall meetings across the country have been marked by protests and heated exchanges that have been broadcast on TV or on Web sites.

At a meeting earlier this month in Des Moines, Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa was interrupted several times by people in the audience shouting criticism and questions. Some in the crowd of 200 at several points disrupted the meeting, where uniformed police officers were present. Des Moines police said no one was arrested.

At a community college in Pennsylvania this month, Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter faced hostile questions, taunts and jeers as he tried to speak about his positions; a similar crowd greeted him at a Philadelphia town hall.

On Thursday, security guards escorted angry audience members from a town hall meeting conducted by Republican Sen. John McCain in Phoenix.

Newport News police on Friday said they had not received any requests from the congressmen's offices for extra patrols or off-duty officers for the events, said Officer Holly McPherson, police spokeswoman. Both congressmen intend to listen to everyone and have formats that do it fairly, spokesmen for both said.

Wittman's plan involves pulling names from a box at random to ensure fairness to speakers, spokesman Tom Crosson said Friday. Scott plans to make a presentation at his town hall meeting, then take questions from the public.

Crosson said residents who attend the Republican legislator's meetings will be asked to write their names and hometowns on a card that will be put into a clear box. People whose cards are pulled from the box during the meeting will be invited to step up to a microphone to ask a question or state an opinion.

Wittman's staff reviewed formats from other town hall meetings held across the country and came up with the idea of the box to ensure that everyone who attended the meeting would be treated fairly, Crosson said.

Crosson said Wittman is planning another meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the University of Mary Washington's Dodd Auditorium in Fredericksburg.

Scott's spokesman, Larry Dillard, said the congressman also has been invited to take questions live from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Norfolk on WTKR-TV, Channel 3. Scott will host another town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in Senate Room A of the General Assembly Building in Richmond.

Karen Miner Hurd, the founder of the group Hampton Roads Tea Party, said members will be going to the town halls. "We do have members that are going because the Hampton Roads Tea Party serves up through Williamsburg," she said.

"We're telling people to get there as early as possible. We're encouraging folks to go regardless, really, of what their opinion is."

Pilot writer Patrick Wilson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cindy Clayton, (757) 446-2377, cindy.clayton@pilotonline.com