Sen. Murray gets full range of feedback at vet stand-down

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN BY COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER TOM VOGT

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray was among friends, mostly, when she did a meet-and-greet Wednesday at a county event for veterans.
As the Washington Democrat shook hands along a line of veterans waiting for military surplus clothing, one of them shouted:
“Thanks again for all the hard work you’ve done for us!”
But the annual Veterans’ Stand-Down wasn’t a total fan-fest. With a hint of a smile, another veteran commented loudly about mailing four letters to Murray’s office and not getting any responses.
Murray knows she can hear the full range of shoutouts whenever she attends a public event, a member of the senator’s staff said later.
“It’s the nature of public service,” press secretary Kerry Arndt said.
“She’s in the public quite a bit,” Arndt continued. “She feels she’s in her natural element, and is always interested to hear what people have to say.”
After all, it’s probably better than being in Washington D.C.