Last week on the program, we heard an argument supporting the Consensus Commission on Government Modernization's final report for Onondaga County, which among other things, recommends the merging of governments for the county and city of Syracuse. This week, we hear from two critics of the report, Rob Bick from the town of Clay and Howie Hawkins from the city of Syracuse.

The final report of the Commission on Local Government Modernization, better known as Consensus, has generated controversy, in particular the recommendation to establish a new form of metropolitan government that would include both the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County. This week on the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher is joined by CenterState CEO president Rob Simpson, who is an advocate of consolidation and was involved in the report. They discuss the report’s main findings and to

The Trump presidency has created some tensions within, and difficult moments for, the Republican Party, and raises questions about the party's political future. Joining Grant Reeher this week on the Campbell Conversations is John "Mac" Stipanovich, a longtime Republican strategist and a leader in the "Never Trump" movement.

President Trump’s pushback against sanctuary cities and the public reaction to his executive order temporarily banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries are two national issues that have deeply touched the city of Syracuse. At the center of both of them has been the city’s mayor, Stephanie Miner, and this week on the Campbell Conversations she joins host Grant Reeher to discuss the issues, including the potential funding risks for the city and the role of refugees in the city’s

The decision on the replacement of I-81 will be one of the most important public policy junctures for the Syracuse region in a generation. This week on the Campbell Conversations, host Grant Reeher is joined by two local public officials who see in this moment the opportunity for a wholesale renewal of the housing and real estate landscape surrounding the old highway, which could lead to a city-wide regeneration. Andrew Maxwell is Director of policy and innovation for the city of Syracuse, and

As a first-term Member of Congress, Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus), who represents New York's 24th Congressional District, often distanced himself from his more conservative Republican colleagues. And during his reelection campaign he disavowed Donald Trump. Those positions will now be tested in a Republican House majority making major legislative changes under a Trump administration.

Republicans in Congress have been trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, since its inception. Now they have a president intent on doing the same. But what has the ACA actually accomplished for the nation’s health, and what are the challenges involved in making significant changes to it?

For many voters, one of the most eagerly anticipated changes from the new Trump administration is a significant tax cut. What are the contours of the likely cuts, and how will they will affect the politics of other significant social policies, like Medicare and Social Security? Could the cuts stimulate enough economic growth to pay for themselves? This week on the Campbell Conversations host Grant Reeher is joined by a leading expert on tax policy, Len Burman, the director of the Tax Policy

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, many think we are suffering a crisis regarding our ability to converse publicly and remain civil, from the airwaves to the dinner table. This week on the Campbell Conversations host Grant Reeher talks with Syracuse University law and political science professor Keith Bybee, about his new book on public civility, titled How Civility Works . Bybee sets forward an argument about civility, that its weaknesses are also its strengths, and that our sense of a

In a Campbell Conversation recorded a couple weeks before the November election, host Grant Reeher sat down with Stanford professor Aliya Saperstein to talk about race and ethnicity in America. Saperstein has written about how we perceive race and ethnicity in others, and how we view our own race and ethnicity. The two also discuss inclusion and equality from a longer-term perspective.