Kansas is not alone in facing a divided state government. That’s according to an expert who spoke at Kansas State University this week.
Carolyn Lukensmeyer says divisiveness from Congress has been trickling down to state governments. She’s with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona.
She has some advice for bridging gaps in Kansas on big issues like taxes and the budget. She says if lawmakers consider other points of view and then look at what a majority of Kansas citizens may want, it can help them form a coalition.
“A group of legislators choosing to treat the common good and the voice of the Kansas people as more important than an ideological position on a particular issue,” says Lukensmeyer.
Lukensmeyer’s organization has helped lawmakers in other states use those strategies to overcome divisions.
Stephen Koranda reports: