In part 2 of our conversation with former Hot Springs, AR city manager Dr. Kent Myers, April and Glen learn how he came to join Braver Angels Arkansas. His concern over the increasing incivility in our country and its many negative implications for citizens and government officials led him to find ways to help cope with those problems so prevalent in our society today. He suggests ways to improve the work of Braver Angels in Arkansas as it seeks to reduce polarization. Among his suggestions, Kent talks about the importance of life-long learning that he sees as a common element in leadership in Braver Angels. Going into his ideas of how we can all improve our work together, he talks about the "C's" that he sees as critical. Those key factors include collaboration, compromise, compassion, civility, and communication. Kent also explains key elements of two leadership approaches: Servant Leadership & Authentic Leadership. An optimist by nature, he talks of his hope for improvements in our political behavior in the future. Kent concludes the conversation with two touching stories of experiences in his own life and how it taught him to not wait to show love and concern for those you care about.

Glen and April talk with Dr. Kent Myers, one of the newer leaders in Braver Angels Arkansas. With a background of serving as a city manager in several cities over his career, along with his doctorate in leadership studies, Kent brings considerable expertise to his work with Braver Angels. In this first part of our conversation, Kent provides a brief bio of his career, then discusses the ways he has approached his role as city manager in several communities around the country, including Hot Springs, AR for 14 years. He briefly outlines the differences between mayoral and the city manager form of government, including specifics about the hybrid model that is used in Little Rock. Outlining some of the critical aspects of sound leadership, Kent talks about the importance of collaboration in working in any leader role. He also mentions recent new concerns among government officials that the polarized environment has exposed civic leaders to new concerns, including verbal or other attacks due to perceived political differences. He explains how the COVID pandemic impacted the increased hostility and how he learned to deal with these new challenges through forgiveness and transparency in his work.

In this second part of our interview with Dr. John Davis, April and Glen delve into details from John's new book, “From Blue to Red: The Rise of the GOP in Arkansas.” In his book, John identifies 3 generations of the modern Republican Party in Arkansas, featuring highlights of Republican politicians from each generation. For example, the desire for political diversity by William Rockefeller helped inspire his entrance into the Republican Party. The 3rd and current generation of Republicans he sees as not yet knowing what it's like to lose. John also mentions Asa Hutchinson's current status in the Republican Party and from there talks about how to get back to bipartisanship in Arkansas. He also recounts an interesting story about Dr. Janine Parry, who is Founding Director of the Arkansas Poll and an expert in Arkansas Politics.