How Government Can Get Sh*t Done: Jim Townsend on Public Policy and Legislative Oversight

An Honorable Profession

This week, we bring you another episode of our series on How Government Can Get Sh*t Done, as host Debbie Cox Bultan sits down with NewDEAL alumnus Jim Townsend. Jim is a former Michigan state legislator now serving as the Director of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, which promotes fact-based legislative oversight as a key to the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the government. Debbie and Jim discuss the false choice between defending institutions that aren’t working and tearing the government to the ground and why DOGE and the current political climate might actually create an opportunity to remake the government to be more responsive and effective. Tune in to learn about the United States’s very first congressional oversight hearing led by General George Washington and about the specific questions policymakers should be asking to ensure that legislation is actually achieving results for constituents.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [01:04] Welcome to Jim Townsend and an overview of this episode on local government, public policy, and oversight.

• [02:13] What oversight truly is and what good oversight might look like.

• [06:16] The very first congressional oversight meeting that happened while George Washington was president.

• [08:23] Understanding the foundation of compromise that our democracy is built on.

• [10:53] Identifying the opportunity for fundamental reform that exists today.

• [15:00] What local lawmakers should consider about oversight on a local level.

• [18:21] Policymaking and problem-solving in local government.

• [23:06] A current example of oversight that can serve as a model for others.

• [26:46] Improving perception around Democratic efforts to improve government rather than demonize it.

• [31:14] What originally drove Jim into public service and what keeps him there today.