Episode description

Hosts Adolph Mongo, Jim Nardone and Allan Lengel talk with Adam Hollier, Democratic candidate for the 13th Congressional District, who argues that Democratic incumbent Congressman Shri Thanedar spends more of his budget on mailings, robocalls and billboards than on staff to serve constituents.

Hollier, who appeared Thursday on the videocast/podcast of "Detroit in Black and White" (see show below), says most Michigan Congress members have a staff of 20 or so to serve constituents, but Thanedar only has a few dedicated to constituent services.

He accuses Thanedar of being more committed to getting re-elected and spending money promoting himself than on doing his job.

Thanedar responded Friday afternoon via email:

"Our office is typically staffed with 20 team members including 11 full-time staff, 1 part-time staff, 6 interns and 2 fellows. This staffing level has allowed us to address over 1400 constituent cases with 88% completion rate, and a response time of 24 to 48 hours.

"On the legislative front, 17 bills were sponsored in the first 15 months, two of which passed in the house and one signed by President Biden into law, over 300 bills co-sponsored, and we  communicated to over hundred thousand constituents on a regular basis.

"Additionally, following the 2020 redistricting in Michigan, (My) current district now includes areas previously served by Brenda Lawrence (40%), Debbie Dingell (26%), and Rashida Tlaib (34%). This restructuring led to considerable confusion among constituents, both within and outside our new boundaries. As a result, my office received calls from constituents of neighboring congresswomen and vice versa. To address this, we significantly ramped up our outreach efforts through various media. Which resulted in a quadrupling of constituent calls from January 2023 to January 2024."