Constituents Fill the Void After Rep. Max Miller Cancels Again

Constituents Fill the Void After Rep. Max Miller Cancels Again

Original reporting by Samantha Ann Illius, West Life (July 2, 2025)

Ed FitzGerald, co-founder of the 7th District Democratic Alliance, speaks at a citizen-led town hall in Westlake on June 26.

Roughly 100 residents gathered at the Westlake Porter Public Library on June 26 for a citizen-led town hall after Congressman Max Miller once again failed to appear before constituents in Ohio’s 7th District. The event was organized by the 7th District Democratic Alliance and marked the second time in recent weeks that Miller skipped a scheduled public engagement.

The previous town hall, set for May 30 and coordinated with the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, was abruptly canceled by Miller’s office with less than two hours' notice—leaving some senior attendees arriving to locked doors.

“We didn’t ask to see people’s party affiliation,” said Ed FitzGerald, co-founder of the Alliance and former Cuyahoga County Executive. “But there’s really no substitute for [Miller] doing this himself.”

Miller and his staff were invited to the June 26 event but did not attend or respond to requests for comment. Symbolic imagery—including an empty chair and one attendee dressed in a chicken costume—underscored the crowd’s frustration.

“They were saying [Miller] was chickening out from meeting constituents,” FitzGerald said. He added that the imagery wasn’t coordinated: “We did not know that that person was going to show up.”

Attendees, hailing from Westlake and nearby suburbs like Bay Village and Fairview Park, voiced concerns on issues such as veterans' services, Medicaid, and Social Security. FitzGerald shared the story of one woman caring for her husband and struggling to get responsive care through the VA: “It really got some people choked up that were there.”

FitzGerald described the mood as shifting from frustration to determination. “They started out being frustrated. But the more they heard people’s stories, it was actually very supportive,” he said. “People came out of it saying, okay, we are going to have to roll up our sleeves and keep organizing.”

Original reporting by Samantha Ann Illius for West Life. Read the full article at WestLifeNews.com