Remember town hall meetings? This somewhat archaic pastime evokes images of architecturally wondrous buildings with tall white columns — reminiscent of east coast imagery.

Town hall meetings are charming. They are meant to bring constituents together to ask questions of their elected leaders or political candidates, share their ideas, and just simply engage.

The very first town hall meeting was held in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1633. Town halls emerged as a form of government democracy. Town members could vote on issues and rely on this type of majority-rules system. “Debate galore” seemed to be the sentiment.

The meetings evolved into more formal debates over time, with presidential candidates using a similar format to face their contenders head-on during these gatherings. With the advancement of technology, the crux of town halls was implemented into other mediums, such as radio, television, and social media.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Although town halls today typically do not involve voting on matters, they are still meant to harness discussion and goodwill between elected officials or candidates and the people.

Town halls are now held sparingly and with only a few Hawaii elected officials recognizing its importance.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz is currently hosting ongoing town halls across the state. In 2016, Gov. David Ige held a plethora of town halls at public schools statewide pertaining to Hawaii’s “Blueprint for Public Education.”

These meetings can be more productive and focused when limited in scope to a single topic or a few topics.

A recent article by The Associated Press discussed how Arizona town hall meetings with their congressional representatives at the helm are occurring less often than in the past. This can be attributed in large part to the drawbacks of town halls. Town halls can open up a can of worms, essentially, in an environment where constituents are oftentimes impassioned and even angry.

Minimizing face-to-face communications is almost welcomed in modern-day society, where constituents’ social media use at these events tend to reveal missteps for the public to view in rapid-fire time. However, town halls can also boost appeal for a campaign or current leader if the event dazzles community members.

Smorgasbord Of Subjects

Town halls are very raw and intimate. The spirit of the town hall is what we should aim to preserve, especially in Hawaii. We need more avenues to express our thoughts freely and have healthy debate incorporating a smorgasbord of subjects important to us as a community.

Promoting creativity and originality, unencumbered, is the goal. Constituents should feel free to blurt out outside-the-box solutions to pressing problems and not feel confined by limitations defined by a formal format and orthodox methodology.

In my capacity as a college lecturer, the majority of the questions I receive from students pertain to technicalities or parameters of any given assignment. Even though the expectations of each assignment are explained in the course syllabus, students tend to obsess over the nuances, i.e., how long does the midterm paper actually have to be? Does the page count include the title page?

My answer always is: I am more concerned about substance over format.

“Ironically, using a conventional forum such as town halls, can prompt unconventional thinking.”

Yes, format matters, but ideas and analysis are gold. This is what shapes our futures and gives us hope. We need to get everyone to think differently and substantively.

If they feel comfortable doing this, along with throwing out bold suggestions for improving our communities, city, and state, then we have already solved the initial problem: conventional thinking. Ironically, using a conventional forum such as town halls, can prompt unconventional thinking.

We have neighborhood board meetings and similar arenas, but we need to acknowledge the value in town halls or even talk-story coffee sessions with elected officials and political candidates. Round-table type discussions have occurred in the past where candidates were available via television for the public to call in and ask questions, but face-to-face interaction is sporadic and sorely missing.

Even protests or one-sided advocacy platforms fall short of the romanticism of the town hall. Speaking openly with public officials or candidates allows for accountability and thoughtful rhetoric.

With the 2020 election approaching, I yearn for town halls and interactive, personal forums to get to know our candidates better and ask tough questions. In addition, our current elected officials should become more visible for back and forth discussions — a break from their usual public appearances for meet and greets or typical engagements.

Imagine genuinely capitalizing off of this traditional concept and allowing innovative ideas and clever perspectives to flow.

We should view the state of Hawaii as one vast think tank of community members, elected officials, and political candidates. I encourage our leaders and potential leaders to think along these terms as they continue to bridge the gap between government and its people.