September 9 lecture "Why our democracy is broken in NC and what we must do to fix it"

The next speaker in the Civil Conversation 2 summer lecture series is Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina. He will speak on Sunday, September 9 at 5 pm at the American Legion Building in Blowing Rock on the topic, "Why our democracy is broken in NC and what we must do to fix it."

According to Phillips, "The public’s interest isn’t served by and large in Raleigh. Districts are gerrymandered - the public no longer has a voice or choice on Election Day. And our elected officials are unaccountable. But we can reverse all this if we end gerrymandering now."

Phillips has served as executive director of Common Cause North Carolina since 2001. His work includes lobbying the legislature and building statewide grassroots campaigns for good-government reforms. He is a North Carolina native, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and worked as a broadcast journalist in Raleigh and press secretary for former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker before joining Common Cause.

Sponsored by the Blowing Rock Persisters, this lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.