Community, the Tucson Government, and Reform Work in Arizona

2023-07-05

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson is joined by Save Democracy’s Ted Hinderaker and Ted Maxwell from the Arizona Leadership Council. The three discuss what it takes, from a community standpoint, to be successful in the U.S. today, reform work in Arizona, the role of Tucson citizens, and the differences between election systems. Ted Maxwell shares why he believes the existing system isn’t working and what he considers important, from a community standpoint, to be successful in the U.S.

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson is joined by Save Democracy’s Ted Hinderaker and Ted Maxwell from the Arizona Leadership Council.

The three discuss what it takes, from a community standpoint, to be successful in the U.S. today, reform work in Arizona, the role of Tucson citizens, and the differences between election systems.

Ted Maxwell shares why he believes the existing system isn’t working and what he considers important, from a community standpoint, to be successful in the U.S.
Paul, Ted Maxwell, and Ted Hinderaker talk about the importance of understanding your role, and how the Tucson government works.
Paul shares his experiences running in both a partisan and a nonpartisan primary and goes over the reasons why he believes that elected officials aren’t being held accountable.
Ted Hinderaker touches upon the characteristics of various election systems – primary, top two, top four, and ranked choice voting – and their effects on society.
Paul asks his guests what they believe has led to the activation of the people in Tucson.
Ted Maxwell mentions one of the main reasons why, in his opinion, more people are leaning towards becoming independents.
Focusing on recruiting candidates that are pragmatic and that are better able to do the job doesn’t last, says Ted Hinderaker.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube

Cathy Giessel

Save Democracy

Ted Hinderaker

Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC)

Ted Maxwell

University of Arizona Foundation

Center for the Future Arizona Civil Francis Organization

The Politics Industry by Katherine M. Gehl and Michael E. Porter