The discord in our current politics makes it vital for political stability for people to have an educated understanding of the processes of democratic decision-making and possess realistic expectations for arriving at public policy through healthy civic debate. With an informed approach to politics, we can more effectively work to balance our ideal expectations of democracy and the reality of pragmatic politics. JT Spence, PhD, AICP, is a recently retired professor and former elected official with 20+ years of experience in community development.

Moderator: John T. Spence