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Speak up for good government.

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Newsletter - July 2025

A core principle of good government is that our elected officials should be committed to problem solving through civil discourse and bipartisanship. Unfortunately, such a commitment remains elusive at best.


Fortunately, individuals and organizations are stepping in to do this hard work.



I am actively working with Voice of the People and Braver Angels to provide tax and spending recommendations to our U.S. representatives in Ohio's 7th and 13th Congressional districts. The 7th district is represented by Max Miller (R), who won his district with 51% of the vote. The 13th district is represented by Emilia Sykes (D), who won her district with 51% of the vote. Both districts are adjacent to each other, just south of Cleveland.


Leveraging methodology developed by the University of Maryland's Program for Public Consultation, a statistically representative group of voters is being provided background information on current spending and taxation levels, with arguments for and against a number of proposals. The results of this survey will be presented at a Forum for Northeast Ohio Braver Angels members on August 27. Congressional representatives and the media are also being invited. At the forum, we will discuss the results of the survey and we'll discuss the viability of this model for engaging constituents to partner with and inform the votes of their elected representatives.


Over the last two months, I have shared information about similar efforts across the country, and I will continue to share information and support this type of work going forward.


Party loyalty and the next election currently provide an overwhelming counterweight to what should matter most, listening to and working with constituents to promote civil discourse, and a good faith effort by our elected representatives to solve difficult problems in a way that accounts for the differing needs of all Americans.


I am hopeful that these disparate efforts can galvanize a movement that neutralizes the forces that are keeping us from constructively moving forward.



Social media posts since my last newsletter:



Once information becomes available, I will share on social media registration details for the August 27 Braver Angels forum.


By early September, I will publish a brief newsletter with forum highlights.


Follow Speak Up for Good Government on Facebook and follow me on LinkedIn and X.


Take care!

Newsletter - May 2025


As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, commitment to problem solving implies an expectation that our elected representatives are truly committed to solving the key problems facing our country. Unfortunately, the current reality suggests that party loyalty, donor interests, and the next election frequently get in the way of a good faith effort to prioritize and tackle the issues that matter to constituents.


Real, honest problem solving requires partnership with the public while accounting for regional differences. It starts at the local level, where empowered and engaged citizens come up with solutions to local problems. Elected representatives can then use these solutions to inform resulting legislation, provided they are scalable to state and national levels.

I am very heartened by continued reports of constructive engagement by citizens throughout the country. These efforts potentially provide a template for participatory democracy throughout our country.


Examples of such efforts include:

  • The Grand Bargain Project, which is designed to unite Americans around a practical plan to advance six objectives that 90+ percent of citizens see as critical to their future.

  • Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer's vision for civic problem solving following their successful town hall earlier this month.

  • Unify America's work to bring thousands of Americans together with interactive experiences that help people build and flex their civic muscles so we can work together to tackle our country's biggest challenges. Check out this recap of their deliberation on childcare in Montrose, Colorado.

  • The collaboration between Voice of the People and Braver Angels that I am helping to facilitate*. This Civic Renewal initiative is designed to leverage input from citizens in Ohio's 7th and 13th Congressional districts to inform the actions taken by our Congressional representatives. The policymaking simulation on the topic selected by Braver Angels members in these districts will take place in June, with results compiled in July and shared with Braver Angels members, our Congressional representatives, and the media at a forum in August.


Please be sure to let me know about other efforts similar to these.


Going forward, I will be looking to work with other organizations to develop a template and best practice repository for participatory democracy.


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This month's social media posts:


Follow Speak Up for Good Government on Facebook and follow me on LinkedIn and X.


Wishing everyone a great Memorial Day and unofficial start of the summer. Providing thanks and tribute to the patriots and their families that made the ultimate sacrifice!


*I will likely take a pause on my regular monthly newsletter in June, but will share information about the topic that was selected by Braver Angels members for this policymaking simulation; and all recipients of this newsletter will have an opportunity to take the policymaking simulation.


It is important to note that the results of the policymaking simulation that will be shared at our August forum will be limited to a statistically based sample of District 7 and District 13 constituents leveraging the University of Maryland's Program for Public Consultation methodology 

A Vision for Civic Problem Solving

From Cleveland Plain Dealer May 9, 2025


A vision for civic problem solving after town hall success


Editor Chris Quinn proposes leveraging public frustration into structured community planning sessions.

 

  

Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer hosted a town hall Wednesday night at the Cuyahoga Public Library, Parma Snow branch, where readers could ask questions about President Trump's first months in office.

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

 

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors.

Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more stories based on podcast discussions


The frustration was evident as Northeast Ohioans packed cleveland.com’s town hall, venting anxieties about federal cuts and democratic erosion.


But what if that energy could be channeled into something more constructive? What if a media organization could transform community concern into community action?


That’s the provocative question posed by Chris Quinn, cleveland.com’s editor, on the Today in Ohio podcast in the aftermath of the event.


“As I sit and think about it, that we should be hosting more than venting,” Quinn reflected. “I mean, it was great. I’m really glad people came, and I’m glad they shared what they think. But if we don’t have representative government, is there a way to take it back?”


Quinn’s vision goes beyond traditional town halls. He envisions structured gatherings where engaged citizens, subject matter experts, and journalists collaborate to tackle complex regional challenges— starting with one of Northeast Ohio’s most intractable problems: government fragmentation.


“What if you took the people who came last night and you put them into a big room in tables of six and you said, let’s attack regionalism,” Quinn proposed. “We’re never going to get anywhere in Cuyahoga County as a balkanized county. Let’s come up with a plan to create one government, a city of Cleveland that is countywide.”


The approach might differ significantly from previous civic planning initiatives like Cleveland Rising, which Quinn and others consider failures due to a lack of subject expertise and realistic framing. Quinn suggests a more structured process.


As one small example, he said, converting the county into one city would have to consolidate firefighting. Could that be one of the many tasks assigned to groups to solve?


“If you have people that can bring reality to it, and they have all the numbers and the map of the stations, and you orchestrate it correctly,” specific solutions could emerge for regional issues like firefighting coordination. Or income tax standardization and other aspects of metropolitan governance.


Leila Atassi identified key lessons from previous planning efforts.


“You need some subject matter experts in the room. Because I sat in on a number of those Cleveland Rising discussions and noticed that they were coming up with solutions that already exist that aren’t being properly deployed.”


The proposal represents a step beyond the town hall hosted Wednesday evening, to focusing the energy of the people who attended into finding solutions outside of government channels that have broken down.


“Could we be the convener?” Quinn asked. “Could we take a team of three or four reporters and, say, every issue that comes out of these discussions, you’re going to be the research team. You’re going to explore them and do a series of stories that really pushes it.”


The approach acknowledges the reality that many current elected officials may be resistant to regional solutions. As Quinn bluntly put it, “Our leaders will never do regionalism because they’re all pigs at the trough. They all want to keep their jobs.”


Instead, a model such as the one proposed in the podcast episode bypasses traditional power structures by building organic movements that could eventually lead to charter amendments or other citizen-driven initiatives. Quinn said his is just one early idea emanating from the town hall.


Laura Johnston, who moderated the event, pointed out that the town hall revealed a clear hunger for leadership and action.


“People want us to take a larger role in the community. I almost felt like they were saying, fix this, fix it for us.”


The challenge, of course, is the resources needed to convene such conversations in a newsroom fully committed to covering local and state issues. But , as the latest generation of politicians corrupt the democratic structures for selfish motives, someone else has to step up to help lead the way. Can a newsroom help facilitate that?


As Quinn concluded: “I would like to use this as a step to something bigger.”

Whatever that might be, the energy and desire for meaningful change was unmistakable at the town hall.


Find the podcast discussion at tinyurl.com/CLETodayInOhio. Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Editor/President Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura John



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