Rep. Mike Thompson stopped by the Calistoga Roastery this week to talk with Calistoga Can, a local group that gathers every other Tuesday at the coffee house to identify congressional candidates across the country they support, and then write and mail postcards to residents of those districts encouraging them to vote.
The group started with Vicki Edwards and Deborah Testa in 2017 and has grown to include more than a dozen people who meet at the Roastery to socialize, discuss politics, and fill out the postcards.
Following a gathering last Tuesday when Calistoga Can discussed concerns it had following the June presidential debate, Edwards reached out to her Adventist Health St. Helena Hospital colleague, as well as Thompson’s wife, Janet Thompson, asking if the congressman might have any encouraging words for the group.
The next day, said Edwards, she received a call from Thompson’s office saying he wanted to meet.
“I think it’s a pretty important civic commitment that they have launched, and I wanted to be able to support that,” Thompson said following his 45-minute visit with the group. “They were concerned about the direction our country is going in, and they want to make sure it goes in the right direction after this next election cycle.”
He added, “They are dialed in, they are on top of the issues, and they’re incredibly dedicated. And that’s what makes our democracy so wonderful.”
