EMERSON'S MOBILE OFFICE TO VISIT AREA

Southeast Missouri residents can voice their concerns to U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's mobile office during scheduled visits next week.

Emerson is in Washington for the legislative session and will not travel with the mobile office.

Nineteen stops are planned in towns throughout the Bootheel from Monday through Thursday, beginning at the Scott County Courthouse at Benton, Mo., at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Each stop will last about an hour. Mobile office director Jayson Clark will hold brief interviews and record information to be forwarded to Emerson for review.

Emerson said the mobile office travels three weeks a month to provide constituents a chance to voice their concerns or ask for assistance in dealing with federal agencies. She has scheduled the visits since her first year in office in 1997.

"We try to take it to some of the communities where people often times don't have the transportation means to get to some of the district offices," she said. "This is really a great way for them to be able to share their frustrations."

Visits to the mobile office have ranged from a couple of people to groups too large to make individual interviews practical. In those cases, Emerson tries to hold town hall-style meetings to give everyone a chance to be heard.

"It goes in spurts, but I would say quite frankly that we have good attendance at most all our stops," she said. "I think we've got very few occurrences of nobody showing up."

Emerson traveled with the mobile office in the western portion of the 8th District last week while Congress was in recess. Constituents had a multitude of personal concerns, but many simply "wanted an update on what's going on in Washington," she said.

Issues concerning Social Security, veterans disabilities and education are common throughout Emerson's congressional district.

In the western portion of the district near the Mark Twain National Forest, concerns regarding private property rights are more common while agriculture remains a priority in Southeast Missouri.

Tax reform and Internet pornography have garnered more interest this year than in the past, Emerson said.

"I think we do a pretty good job of reaching out most of the time," she said. " Throughout the district, people pretty well have the same concerns. I do a much better job if people are talking to me all the time."

Mobile Office Schedule for the week of June 12:

Monday, June 12

Benton 8:30-9:30 a.m. Courthouse

Sikeston 10-11 a.m. Heritage House

Charleston noon-1 Clara Drinkwater Newnam Library

East Prairie 1:30-2:30 City administration building

New Madrid 3-4 Courthouse

Tuesday, June 13

Dexter 8:30-9:30 a.m. City Hall

Malden 10-11 a.m. Community Center

Campbell 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. City Hall

Kennett 1-4 City Hall

Wednesday, June 14

Hayti 9-10 a.m. Community Center

Caruthersville 10:30-11:30 a.m. Nutrition Center

Steele noon-1 City Hall

Senath 1:30-2:30 City Hall

Portageville 3:30-4:30 Community Center

Thursday, June 15

Bernie 9-10 a.m. Municipal Courtroom

Bell City 11-12 p.m. City Hall

Advance 12:30-1:30 p.m. City Hall

Oran 2-3 City Hall

Chaffee 3:30-4:30 City Hall