Thousands of Letters Reach N.H., Maine Lawmakers Yearly
WASHINGTON – Put it this way: If every piece of correspondence and phone call to Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) were a dollar bill, he’d be a millionaire twice over by the end of his six-year term.
And he answers them all.
“One of Sen. Sununu’s top priorities is to provide the very best constituent service possible, and he appreciates it when constituents contact him with their questions, comments and concerns,” said Sununu’s spokeswoman, Barbara Riley. Sununu’s office receives an average of 1,200 letters, e-mails, faxes and phone calls every day of the year, she said.
Of course, the senator can’t personally respond to each one. If he did, he’d have no time left to cast votes, author legislation or take care of the issues his constituents are contacting him about. But the senator makes sure his staff answers every missive and call.
Regular Americans from all over the country constantly write and call their representatives in Congress to let them know what they think. Writers to New Hampshire’s four senators and House members will always receive responses, but not necessarily from the lawmakers themselves.
“Occasionally, [Rep. Charlie Bass] will respond himself, but that’s not the norm,” said Sally Tibbetts, spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Republican. “I’m sure you can understand, given the volume of mail. He wouldn’t have time to do anything else.”
Bass receives approximately 22,000 to 25,000 letters, phone calls, faxes and e-mails annually, according to Tibbetts. This year, however, an additional 3,000 to 5,000 constituents are expected to contact Bass to air their views on the battle against terrorism and the war in Iraq, she added.
Iraq is the number one topic of most letters and phone calls to the office of Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-N.H.), said spokesman T.J. Crawford.
“Obviously, with the magnitude of an issue รก there’s going to be more interest with constituents,” Crawford said.
People writing to and calling Bradley’s office can expect a response in no more than three weeks, depending on the issue, Crawford said. He added that the congressman reviews every response.
“Every answer to a letter, to an e-mail, to a fax, to a phone call that’s going out of this office, the congressman makes sure that he sees and personally approves,” Crawford said. “Nothing goes out without him seeing it, which is obviously important.
“With the volume of correspondence coming in, it’s tough to respond to everyone as fast as you’d like, but we make sure that it’s one of the priorities to get a response out of the door as soon as possible.”
It takes longer for members of Congress to receive mail since two senators received letters containing anthrax spores two years ago. Now, letters sent to the Capitol complex undergo intense screening, including X-rays. Because it typically takes two weeks to a month for mail to reach them, lawmakers suggest constituents communicate to them via e-mail or fax.
Once letters arrive in the office of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), writers can expect a two-week response time. Snowe also approves all of the responses to her constituents, said spokesman, Jason Galanes.
“It’s basically to ensure that very individual concern is addressed as thoroughly as possible,” Galanes said.
Snowe wants to make sure that her positions on issues are represented accurately, he said.
Depending on the current issues in Maine, Congress and around the world, the volume of correspondence and calls from constituents fluctuates every day, Galanes said. Besides Iraq, Mainers have expressed concern in the regulation of national fisheries and what is known as Amendment 13, which would end over-fishing, he added.
“That’s a topic closer to home, so Mainers definitely felt they needed to communicate with Sen. Snowe about that,” Galanes said.
Responses to the 900 or so pieces of correspondence received daily in the office of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) often contain excerpts from Gregg’s speeches on the Senate floor, according to spokesman Jeff Turcotte.
“It’s better to use his own words, and certainly if he’s spoken on the floor, then that’s a very accurate description of how he’s feeling,” Turcotte said.
The volume of correspondence Gregg receives tends to decrease in the summer and during holidays when Congress is in recess, he added.
Sometimes lawmakers are even given celebrity-like status by their letter-writers.
“You get sort of fan mail, you know, constituents writing, praising your efforts, or just unabashed admiration for the congressman,” Tibbetts said of correspondence sent to Bass.
One recent e-mail sent to Bradley’s office was more emotional. An Arizona woman, whose brother from New Hampshire is a soldier in Iraq, attached a photo of Bradley with her brother during the congressman’s recent visit to the region. When she received word that a helicopter was downed Sunday in Iraq, killing 15 Americans, she worried that her brother was involved. A few minutes later, her brother e-mailed her a new photo and informed her that he was safe.
“We love correspondence like that,” Crawford said.
Then there are the children.
“Some of the best letters we’ve gotten are from younger kids, writing in for a school project, wanting to know how the congressman feels about being a congressman,” Crawford said.
“It’s a fun change sometimes from some of the more serious questions,” he said. “That lightens things up a bit.”
