This month, I called the office of my state senator, Larry Farnese, to request a state form. While I was satisfied with the constituent service that I received from his office, I have a lot of concern about what happened next.
Literally five minutes after I hung up the phone from Farnese's office, I received a robocall asking me if I was likely to vote for Senator Farnese in the next election. I felt pressure to vote yes in the automated poll for fear that I would not receive the form from his office if I voted no. The call was a good reminder that Big Brother is always watching.
Although I did vote for Farnese in the last election, I would not vote for him again. I would never vote for a politician that ties his constituent services to future votes. Farnese and politicians must serve all their constituents, not just the ones that vote for them.
Hi Laura, my name is Cameron Kline and I’m Sen. Farnese’s Communications Director. After reading your post I became concerned too because we in the District Office pride ourselves in ensuring that Senate resources, like constituent information, are not shared with any campaign. I spoke with the Senator’s Chief of Staff about the phone call you received and he, after talking with Senator, found out that the campaign began conducting a telephone poll of voters in the First Senatorial District around the end of January. This, from what we understand, is about the same time you were working with the District Office. So, since you are a voter, this is likely why you got a phone call. We apologize for the confusion and are available to answer any questions that you may have at 215-952-3121 or at ckline@pasenate.com. Many thanks.
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