An Honorable Profession

• How Government Can Get Sh*t Done: Caitlin Lewis on Solving the Public Service Crisis

  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 Caitlin Lewis. Caitlin is the Executive Director of Work for America, an organization committed to addressing the talent shortage in public service by connecting qualified and passionate problem solvers with positions in state and local government. In today’s conversation, she speaks with Debbie about the shifting public service landscape under the Trump Administration, the economic challenges facing state budgets, and the unique opportunities for state and local government workforces in the wake of federal layoffs. They also talk about Work For America’s new program, Civic Match, and Caitlin’s own motivations for seeking a career in public service. She draws on her own experiences to share methods for incentivizing college students to apply for government roles after graduation and how best to retain them.  IN THIS EPISODE: • [02:05] Welcoming the executive director of Work for America, Caitlin Lewis. • [02:30] Caitlin tells us about Work for America and what they do. • [05:25] The public crisis America is facing and how to fix it. • [08:55] The shift she’s seeing in public service. • [12:33] How the current economic climate will affect states’ hiring ability. • [15:04] Caitlin explains what Civic Match is and how it works. • [21:24] What made Caitlin pursue a career in public service. • [26:33] How to encourage college graduates to be excited about government roles. • [28:56] Caitlin’s tips for people trying to recruit and retain bright, young workers. • [31:02] Why she’s concerned about how quickly the government can deliver. • [33:08] Our guest shares her hope for how we can emerge from these difficulties.

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• How Michigan Manufacturing is Handling Tariffs with Lansing Mayor Andy Schor

  This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Lansing, MI, Mayor Andy Schor whose community and state are at the center of national politics and the current debates around manufacturing, jobs, and tariffs. Mayor Schor discusses the disconnect between President Trump’s campaign promises versus the actual impacts his policies are having on the lives of the everyday Michiganders who elected him. He digs into the specific impacts of tariffs, including how they threaten mid-Michigan’s auto industry, as well as small businesses through the Lansing region, and speaks more broadly about how mayors across the country are navigating the uncertainty of the second Trump administration, including threats to Biden-era federal funds. The mayor also reflects on his career in politics, detailing the pros and cons of serving both in the state legislature and as mayor, and how he views the changing political landscape. Tune in to hear how Mayor Schor is championing equitable growth across Michigan’s capital city. IN THIS EPISODE:  • [01:04] Mayor Andy Schor’s key position at ground zero of American politics in Michigan today. • [02:12] An overview of life in Lansing, Michigan, following the 2020 pandemic. • [04:28] How Lansing created the conditions for growth and what the response has been. • [07:06] Mayor Schor’s experience of serving at different levels of government. • [12:50] How Michigan citizens are feeling about the political climate in 2025. • [15:43] The impact of tariffs on manufacturing jobs and the car industry. • [20:58] Threats and impacts to cities across the country. • [23:35] How the change in status of tax-exempt municipal bonds will affect Lansing. • [25:22] What it’s truly like to be Mayor of Lansing, Michigan. • [28:00] How the world of politics has changed since Mayor Schor’s early involvement.

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• ICYMI: How Government Can Get Sh*t Done with Jen Pahlka

  Today on An Honorable Profession, we’re revisiting co-host Debbie Cox Bultan’s conversation with Jennifer Pahlka. Pahlka has decades of experience in civic technology. She was U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer under former President Obama and recently authored  the book, Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. Debbie and Jennifer talk about the factors that often make government slow or ineffective and what the Department of Government Efficiency is getting wrong about cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. Jennifer shares her advice for elected officials from prioritizing civil service reform to investing in digital and data infrastructure and the importance of measuring results. Tune in to hear how Democrats can go on offense against DOGE by championing thoughtful and lawful systemic improvements.   IN THIS EPISODE:  • [01:05] Introducing An Honorable Profession’s new series: How Government Can Get Shit Done. • [02:17] Welcome to Jennifer Pahlka who served as US Deputy Chief Technology Officer under President Obama. • [04:53] How to not lose sight of the real problems that need evolving. • [09:40] Why efficiency is a byproduct of government rather than a goal. • [11:17] Differentiating between creating regulations and making government work. • [16:24] Four things government officials can do to facilitate interaction. • [18:12] How LLMs can support efficiency. • [21:56] What it might look like to care more about the outcome than the bill. • [25:41] How to know the true status of your bureaucracy. • [28:10] Understanding why bureaucracy is risk adverse. • [30:28] Jennifer’s journey to public service. • [32:20] How tech can build a better world for those who most need it.  

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• How Government Can Support Small Businesses with State Senator Christine Cohen

  This week, host Ryan Coonerty talks with Connecticut State Senator Christine Cohen. Cohen is a small business owner turned legislator who previously served on her local school board before running for the state senate following the first election of President Trump. In Hartford, she draws on her experiences as the owner of Cohen’s Bagel Company  to guide her leadership on various legislative committees, including the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee and the Environment Committee, and now as the Co-Chair of the Transportation Committee. Her impressive record of legislative success includes leading the passage of the Connecticut Clean Air Act, enacting legislation to prevent wrong-way crashes, and securing funding for mental health crisis intervention programs for law enforcement officers. Ryan and Senator Cohen discuss the misconception that Democrats are “anti--business” and how she's pushed back on this by forwarding a pro-business agenda, including crucial work on paid leave. They also talk about the challenges of working in the state legislature at a time when hyper-partisan rhetoric dominates conversations and distracts from serving the people. Tune in to hear Senator Cohen’s advice for policymakers who want to focus on solutions and support small businesses in these uncertain economic times.   IN THIS EPISODE:  • [01:04] Podcast producer, Rachel, introduces this episode where Ryan Coonerty interviews Senator Christine Cohen. • [02:03] Senator Cohen’s journey from Cohen’s Bagel Co to the state senate. • [05:45] Transferrable skills and areas of focus between small business and local government. • [09:02] How Senator Cohen believes the Democratic Party can better support small business owners. • [11:06] Paid family medical leave and her work on the Environment Committee and the Connecticut Clean Air Act. • [15:02] How Connecticut’s transportation policy has been affected by the Trump administration. • [19:40] Her state’s leadership is working to reduce harm and the value of a bipartisan approach. • [24:02] Mental health support for vulnerable communities and how Senator Cohen has created an impact. • [28:11] What drives Senator Cohen as she moves forward in government.

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

  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.

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