A group in Sierra Vista wants U.S. Rep. Martha McSally to hold a town hall forum there during the two-week congressional break.

The group has gone so far as to rent a hall this week, saying it will go forward with the planned public event Thursday, with or without McSally’s participation.

The event is organized by Indivisible Cochise County, which describes itself as an independent grassroots organization. Jeff Sturges, a retired Cochise Community College instructor, said he helped to plan it after repeatedly being told by the congresswoman’s staff that she had no public town hall events planned in Cochise County.

McSally, the Republican representative of District 2, has attended a number of public events in the district in the last few days, said spokeswoman Kelly Schibi, including meeting with high school students interested in the service academies, hosting a veterans workshop, and visiting with Bio5 Institute’s director. Schibi did not answer the question of whether McSally will attend the Sierra Vista forum.

McSally rebuffed a similar attempt in February by a group to have her take part in a Tucson town hall, saying then that β€œactivists” wanted a chance to verbally berate Congress members in a public setting. Instead, McSally held a town hall in Sahuarita the same day.


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Contact reporter Joe Ferguson at jferguson@tucson.com or 573-4197. On Twitter: @JoeFerguson