State Rep. Darryl Metcalfe, R-12th, held two town hall events Thursday where he discussed his recent efforts in Harrisburg and clashed with proponents of a gerrymandering bill.

Around two dozen people attended the morning event, “The Original Coffee and Conversations,” at the Penn Township Municipal building to hear what Metcalfe had to say, while representatives from March on Harrisburg and Fair Districts handed out flyers outside.

After a short talk from the lawmaker about his recent efforts in Harrisburg, several attendees quickly raised questions about gerrymandering, specifically why a proposed bill, HB 722, had not made it out of the state government committee, which Metcalfe heads.

“That bill, along with two other bills, were the topic of demonstrations in my office in May,” Metcalfe said. “Arrests were made, and many of those people were identified as out-of-state protesters.”

That kind of uncivil discourse, Metcalfe said, would not lead to action on the part of his committee, adding that he is concerned about the groups supporting and funding the protests.

“I’m not going to reward the bad behavior, that their parents probably awarded, with a positive result,” Metcalfe said. “It’s like if your child misbehaves.”

Some constituents felt that the actions of others should not disqualify their views from the process.

“I think it’s unreasonable to say, ‘I don’t like these people who came and protested, so I’m not even going to consider it,’” Carol Liebold said. “I’m not your child, I’m your constituent.”

Metcalfe went on to argue for the merits of having elected officials determine districts over committees.

As the event went on, Metcalfe took questions about everything from the state budget and spending to local schools and the roundabout coming to Route 228.

One person asked Metcalfe why DUI laws were so harsh and the crowd, divided over the issue of gerrymandering, came together in support of laws punishing drunken driving.

The meeting drew to a close as Metcalfe fielded final questions regarding Medicaid issues and local infrastructure.

“This is how our government works,” Metcalfe said. “You give us input and I go back to the capitol and next time we debate the laws, I’ll have the input from all of you.”

The evening meeting was much wider attended and much more contentious.

At 6:30 p.m. in the Cranberry Township Municipal Center, more than a dozen representatives from Fair Districts held a large banner and handed out flyers to attendees as representatives from March on Harrisburg and other local groups talked to people walking through or attending the town hall event.

Constituents also asked about HB 722 and Metcalfe presented the same response as at the morning meeting.

One attendee called it “punishing your kids for what the neighbor’s doing,” and another said in the current system those who draw the lines are incentivized to draw them unfairly.

“You’re punishing us because someone else broke the law,” said Dorothy Kotsenas, area resident and a registered Republican.

Still, Metcalfe affirmed his belief that elected officials would better draw district lines than a committee and be more accountable, and that he was not going to reward the protesters with a vote.

Some, expressing their frustration, left the meeting. A young man who said he was from Pennsylvania, but declined to specify what county, was asked to leave and escorted out by police.

Metcalfe explained again that he would not move forward with a bill that was supported by outside groups funded and filled with people from outside Pennsylvania, sparking one person to ask if he took money from anyone outside of the state.

In a later interview, Metcalfe confirmed that while he is personally only paid by the state for his service as a representative, his campaign does take contributions from groups with out-of-state ties.

“The majority of money that is raised in campaign is from people who live in my district,” Metcalfe said. “And then there’s groups outside of my district in Pennsylvania and then there’s sometimes groups that have a presence in Pennsylvania but have a political action committee out of Washington, D.C.”

He also made a distinction between contributing to political campaigns and his complaint with those involved in the protests and arrests in Harrisburg.

“I have a problem with paid protesters,” he said. “These people are professional protesters.”

He claimed the protesters are funded by people and organizations with unknown backgrounds, whereas the names of his contributors are available to the public.

While much of the evening’s meeting was dominated by talks of HB722 and gerrymandering, Metcalfe also had the chance to address other local and state issues from the budget to advising residents how to petition their townships for change.

There were many attending who supported Metcalfe, with several thanking him for his efforts and applauding his views on state spending and crime legislation.

At the end of the meeting, many attending expressed appreciation for the chance to ask their representative questions and a few expressed displeasure with “outsiders” disrupting the event.

Others left feeling unheard.

“I now understand why so many people are frustrated with him,” said Barbara Brock, a Cranberry resident. “I’m kind of appalled at how absolutely determined he is that, ‘If I don’t like something about it, nobody on my committee will ever discuss it’ ... It’s dictatorial.”