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.

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Social media posts since my last newsletter:

• Bipartisan Policy Center report on the effect of open primaries on turnout and representation

• Results of national survey conducted by the Program for Public Consultation on tax and spending preferences – note that within this article there is a link that allows you to learn about federal taxes and spending and take the Federal Budget simulation yourself

• Announcement about the local pilot that is the focus of this month's newsletter. For newsletter subscribers that are part of the Ohio 7th and 13th Congressional district, this link allows you to take a comparable budget simulation to the Federal Budget simulation referenced above. This local version of the survey gives you the option to receive an email of your tax and spending preferences, and provides instructions for sharing your results with your Congressional representative. A summary of these results, along with results of a more formal survey of Ohio 7 and 13 constituents will be shared at our August 27th forum.

• Politico article about a depolarization experiment in Pennsylvania

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.

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Take care!