Rebuilding Broken Systems

CHAPTER 4Government for the People

“One avenue that is really helpful and impactful is for local governments to reach out to philanthropic opportunities within those communities to help support, not 100%, but to help support in a 50/50 partnership model.”

—Deb Fowler, Executive Director, History UnErased

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses in Baltimore Harbor. Hurricane Helene dumps 30 inches of rain on Asheville, North Carolina. Wildfires obliterate large swaths of Los Angeles. Who you gonna call?

In times of natural disasters, major catastrophes, and large-scale disruptions we all turn to the government. Every single time. Even the folks who claim to resent or even hate “the Feds” recognize how limited their options are and how insufficient their resources are without government intervention and assistance. It’s not just about the money either, but the manpower and the expertise government officials and employees can bring to bear.

We all count on government at every level, local, state, regional, and federal, to be there in a crisis. But an effective system of governance needs to deliver far more than emergency management systems on demand. Citizens and government leaders must shift their perception of what government can, should, and indeed must do. Instead of relying on government as a “vending machine of service delivery,” a collaborative shift at all levels of society has to occur. We have the power to support a transformation of government, enabling our public ...