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This letter is an open letter to Congressman Jack Bergman
Dear Congressman Bergman,
I am writing to you as one of your constituents, and I am writing to say that you have lost my confidence.
You have not held an open public town hall in this district in roughly eight years, according to critics and local organizers who have resorted to holding their own forums -- with an empty chair in your place. When constituents in Escanaba and Traverse City tried, your office dismissed them as “political stunts.” Congressman, the people who pay your salary are not a stunt. If you cannot face us, you are not representing us.
Then there are the ethical clouds hanging over your office. A Detroit News investigation reported that your top staffers ran a political consulting firm, Right Way to Win LLC, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from campaigns while structuring their congressional pay to avoid public disclosure -- prompting House Ethics complaints from your own constituents, including a retired Navy chaplain. A second investigation examined the donor-tied Washington home your family acquired in a no-bid deal. Even if no rule was technically broken, the appearance is damning, and the appearance is yours to fix.
Even your own party has had enough. Republican state lawmakers Ed McBroom, Greg Markkanen, and Karl Bohnak publicly rescinded their support for you, calling you a liar and an absent, disconnected congressman. When the people who know you best -- and agree with you most -- say that, it is not partisan noise. It is a verdict.
The First District deserves a representative who shows up, answers hard questions, and follows the rules without needing ethics complaints to remind him. You have not been that representative. I urge you to step aside for someone who will.