Constituent Access: No In-Person Town Halls in 3+ Years, Office Closures Across District
Why This Matters for NY-23
Representative democracy depends on constituents being able to question their representative directly. In over three years, Langworthy has held zero in-person town halls. When constituents organized their own forums and invited him, he didn’t attend. When a local newspaper editor offered to promote a town hall and provided a venue, she received no response. The editor’s assessment: “Your style of governing as unresponsive because, basically, you don’t respond.” Whether telephone town halls with “pre-selected questions” constitute adequate representation is for voters to decide.
Statement
Source: Langworthy office statements, 2023-2026
Langworthy’s office has stated he conducts regular constituent engagement, including:
- Monthly telephone town halls reaching “100,000+ phone numbers” per session
- Appointment-only office hours at district offices
“I’m out in the community all the time. No one stops me on the street on this question.”
The Record: Zero In-Person Town Halls
Langworthy has not held an in-person public town hall since taking office in January 2023, according to reporting by WSKG, WGRZ, and the Post-Journal.
This is now over three years without a single public forum where constituents can ask questions in person.
Timeline of Constituent Attempts
March 2025: Chemung County
- Constituents packed the county legislature chambers
- Attendees asked: “Where is Nick Langworthy?”
- Residents demanded answers on Medicaid and SNAP cuts
- Langworthy response: Did not attend
April 2025: Corning “Empty Seat” Town Hall
- Over 100 constituents gathered at United Steelworkers Local 1000 in Corning (Steuben County)
- Empty chair left for Langworthy
- Attendees included Corning Mayor Bill Boland and residents from multiple NY-23 counties
- Organizers confirm Langworthy received formal invitation
- Langworthy response: None
Organizer Dora Leland: “We told him we had many, many constituents that would really appreciate having a meet and greet with him, especially since half of his telephone town halls get canceled last minute. And we got absolutely no response.”
Blasdell (Erie County)
- Similar constituent-organized event held
- Langworthy’s response: Characterized such gatherings as “this nationally driven leftwing charade of fake town hall meetings being called together under mysterious, new organizations that all fall under the umbrella of the Indivisible network - a George Soros funded movement.”
District Office Status
Jamestown Office (Chautauqua County)
- Closed temporarily in January 2026 after credible threats
- Status: Reopened with security measures
Clarence Office (Erie County)
- Evacuated in February 2025 after a suspicious package
- Status: Operational
Elmira Office (Chemung County)
- A planned district office in Elmira City Hall was abandoned
- Leaves the district’s most populous urban center without a dedicated office
- Chemung County currently has no local Langworthy office
The “Soros-Funded” Claim
Langworthy’s assertion: Citizens for a Better Southern Tier is part of “the Indivisible network - a George Soros funded movement”
The facts:
- Citizens for a Better Southern Tier explicitly denies any Indivisible affiliation
- The group states it “does not receive any funding”
- Founded locally in 2017 by constituents frustrated with former Rep. Tom Reed
- Group statement: It is “an independent organization with no formal affiliations with other groups”
Verdict on claim: NOT SUPPORTED — No evidence connects this local group to Soros or Indivisible funding.
East Aurora Advertiser Editorial (February 2026)
Source: East Aurora Advertiser, Editor Shelly Ferullo
In a remarkable editorial addressed directly to the Congressman, the editor of the East Aurora Advertiser documented her newspaper’s experience with Langworthy’s office:
“We know that you receive the newspaper directly to your office in Williamsville so we hope that you are reading it.”
On constituent letters:
“Lately we have been receiving letters for you that should be written to me, after all, I am the editor. Citizens are writing letters that begin with ‘Dear Congressman’ or ‘Dear Langworthy’ for publication, stating they do not feel heard by their representative.”
Constituent concerns documented:
- Upset with state of the federal government
- Believe ICE has “gone too far in Minneapolis”
- Want more information released about the Epstein Files
- Want an extension on the Affordable Care Act
- Want a town hall meeting
“The request to have face to face contact with you at a town hall has been on repeat for nearly a year.”
On his governing style:
“Above all, they find your style of governing as unresponsive because, basically, you don’t respond.”
The newspaper’s offer:
“We have called your office within the past year and offered to provide assistance with a town hall, such as promoting the event in the newspaper, and we have verified that the Aurora Senior Citizen Center in the village would be willing to host it for you.”
Langworthy’s response: None received.
On virtual town halls:
“We are well aware that you hold virtual town halls on occasion with pre-selected questions and that constituents can subscribe to your newsletter.”
On the 2026 election:
“Your term is up for election this year. The newspaper has also been receiving letters from candidates who plan to challenge you on the ballot. We don’t recall any voters sending in a letter of support but it’s early in the cycle.”
The editorial concluded:
“And be sure to let us know when you are ready to schedule the town hall meeting. We will put a ‘Save the Date’ right on the front page.”
—Shelly Ferullo, Editor
Telephone Town Halls: The Reality
Langworthy claims “monthly” telephone town halls reaching “100,000 phone numbers.”
What this means:
- The 100,000 figure refers to outbound automated dials, not actual participation
- Telephone town halls are not recorded or publicly posted, per constituent reports
- They are inaccessible to second-shift workers
- They do not allow the sustained, visible exchange that in-person forums provide
- Citizens for a Better Southern Tier alleges “half of his telephone town halls get canceled last minute”
Transparency During Shutdown
During the 43-day government shutdown (October-November 2025):
| Representative | Calendar Request Response |
|---|---|
| Rep. Tim Kennedy (D) | Complied, released daily meeting lists |
| Rep. Nick Langworthy (R) | “Outright refused” — cited FOIA exemption |
| Rep. Claudia Tenney (R) | No response |
Langworthy’s office stated members “are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act and will not be producing the documents requested.”
District Impact
Constituents across all seven NY-23 counties have limited mechanisms to directly challenge discrepancies between public statements and voting records.
| County | Office Status | Town Hall Access |
|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua | Open (post-threat) | None |
| Erie | Open | None |
| Chemung | No office | None |
| Steuben | No dedicated office | None |
| Cattaraugus | No dedicated office | None |
| Allegany | No dedicated office | None |
| Schuyler | No dedicated office | None |
Questions This Raises
Why has Langworthy not held a single in-person town hall in over three years?
Security threats are real, but they occurred in 2025-2026—what explains the absence of town halls in 2023 and 2024?
Why was the planned Elmira office abandoned, leaving Chemung County without representation?
If telephone town halls are adequate, why aren’t they recorded and posted publicly?
When constituents organize their own forums, why characterize them as “Soros-funded” without evidence?
When a local newspaper editor offers to promote a town hall and provides a venue, why is there no response?
Why do telephone town halls use “pre-selected questions” rather than open constituent questions?
Assessment
The claim that constituent engagement occurs through telephone town halls and office hours is technically accurate.
The claim that no in-person public town hall has been held in over three years is also accurate and is supported by multiple regional news outlets.
Security threats are documented and real, but they do not explain the absence of town halls prior to those incidents (2023-2024).
The East Aurora Advertiser editorial adds significant documentation:
- A local newspaper editor offered to help promote a town hall
- A local venue (Aurora Senior Citizen Center) volunteered to host
- The newspaper received no response from Langworthy’s office
- The editor characterizes his governing style as “unresponsive because, basically, you don’t respond”
- Virtual town halls use “pre-selected questions” rather than open constituent input
Whether telephone-only engagement constitutes adequate representation is a judgment call for constituents, but the factual record is clear.
Verdict: FALSE — Claims of robust constituent access are contradicted by zero in-person town halls, abandoned office plans, characterization of constituent groups without evidence, and documented non-response to media offers to host public forums.
Sources
- East Aurora Advertiser: Editorial “Dear Congressman Langworthy” by Editor Shelly Ferullo (February 2026)
- WSKG: “Frustrated constituents hold ’empty seat’ town hall, wanting to hear from Rep. Langworthy” (April 18, 2025)
- WSKG: “‘Governing means putting your country first’” (November 14, 2025)
- WSKG: “Chemung County residents demand local leaders oppose safety net cuts” (March 2025)
- WGRZ: “Langworthy responds to town hall meeting in Blasdell”
- WKBW: “‘What are you doing for my tax dollars?’: Where are Western New York’s representatives during the shutdown?” (November 2025)
- Post-Journal: “Threats Force Closure of Langworthy’s Jamestown Office” (January 2026)
- MyTwinTiers: “Langworthy drops plan to lease space in Elmira City Hall”
- Citizens for a Better Southern Tier: Official statement on organizational status
Note: This entry documents publicly available information from news reports and official statements. Readers may draw their own conclusions.
Last updated: February 7, 2026