Do the failures of modern governance and politics have more to do with a crisis of leadership or a crisis of citizenship? What can we as citizens do to improve the political discourse and the quality of public life?  This is the focus of “Of the People or for the People: Getting the Government We Deserve,” a free conversation with Jeff Golden, former host of Jefferson Public Radio’s Jefferson Exchange.

The event is a part of the statewide Conversation Project: A New Chautauqua.  This program is sponsored by Oregon Humanities (formerly Oregon Council for the Humanities), North Curry Libraries, and the Friends of the North Bend Public Library. 

Golden has served as a public broadcasting producer, columnist, radio talk show host, and commentator. He is a former Jackson County commissioner, chief of staff to the Oregon Senate president, and environmental policy aide to the City of Portland. Golden is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum and a media fellow of the Property and Environment Research Center.