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:

• Going Local in a Troubled Time – article from the Bush Center about finding local solutions to national problems

• Vision for Civic Problem Solving – Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer article

• Sharing of Best Practices

• News Literacy Tips from the News Literacy Project and Rumor Guard

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