LETTER: Congress and constituent service

Members of Congress routinely tell voters they are listening. But are they? I’ve written to elected representatives asking legitimate questions about important issues, only to receive generic form letters that rarely address my concerns.

If Congress truly represents the people, why not require every congressional office to publish an annual constituent accountability report? Such reports should disclose how many constituent inquiries were received, how many received substantive responses, average response times and how many remain unanswered. No personal information would need to be disclosed.

Businesses measure customer satisfaction and employee performance. Why shouldn’t taxpayers expect similar accountability from the people they employ?

Winning an election shouldn’t provide a free pass from accountability for the next two or six years. Public service should be measured by more than votes received. It should also be measured by constituents served.