Barletta, Kanjorksi at odds over 'tele-town halls'

An effort from U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorksi (D-Nanticoke) to hold town-hall style conferences over the phone has drawn criticism from challenger Lou Barletta, who says the tele-conferences are purely taxpayer-funded political advertisements.

It is the latest salvo in what has emerged as an aggressive campaign from the Hazelton mayor as he tries to unseat the longtime incumbent.

Kanjorski counters the meetings are simply a good way to garner constituent feedback while saving them gas money.

Barletta's campaign said in a statement released Monday that northeast Pennsylvania residents have been "inundated with e-mails, robo-calls and newspaper advertisements alerting them of a series of 'tele-town meetings' hosted by their current congressman, Paul Kanjorksi."

"What they may not know is that they are paying for them," the statement said.

Barletta is asking Kanjorski to transfer the bill for calls to his campaign accounts.

But Kanjorksi says the town meetings "are nothing new."

"With gas prices now surpassing $4 per gallon, I want to save my constituents as much money as possible," he said in a statement. "Rather than spending money driving to a town meeting, they can listen at home, free of charge."

The last such meeting, in January, was well received, the representative said.

"Telephone town meetings provide a unique and convenient forum to hear the concerns of my constituents and answer their questions live and over the phone," he said. "I will not stop being a member of Congress just because there is an election in November."