Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Meet the change leaders: Scott Klug

Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

After a 14-year career as an Emmy-winning reporter, Scott Klug upset a 32-year Democratic House member from Wisconsin in 1990. Despite winning four elections with an average of 63 percent of the vote, he stayed true to his term limit pledge and retired in January 1999.

But during his time in office, Klug says, he had the third most independent voting record of any member of Congress from Wisconsin in the last 50 years.


Klug now works at the law firm Foley & Lardner, where he is a public affairs director and co-chair of the firm’s federal public affairs practice. He represents a broad array of the firm’s clients in Washington and several state capitals. He is also able to draw on his time as a television reporter to help clients craft proactive media strategies, particularly when faced with crisis management challenges.

In 2013, he authored “ The Alliance,” a mystery novel about religion and antiquities.

Klug has returned to the public eye to represent “Lost in the Middle” voices in a regular podcast he produces.

He is a resident of Madison, Wis., where he lives with his wife, Theresa Summers Klug. The couple has three children.

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Klug for the CityBiz “Meet the Change Leaders” series. Watch to learn the full extent of his democracy reform work:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com


Read More

Two coloured pencils one red and one blue drawing a reef knot on a white paper background.

Two Americans from opposite political perspectives explore patriotism, democracy, and the importance of finding common ground in an increasingly divided nation.

Getty Images, David Malan

Trust But Verify: A Conservative and a Progressive on Loving America Honestly

Patriotism with Reservations

I am unapologetically patriotic and deeply grateful to be an American. My father served in the United States Army for twenty years, and because of his service I had the opportunity to live abroad in places such as Germany and South Korea. Those experiences broadened my worldview and gave me a greater appreciation for other cultures and nations. Yet they also reinforced a conviction that has only grown stronger with time: there is no place quite like the United States of America. For all of our imperfections, America remains a remarkable experiment in liberty, opportunity, and self-government.

As a Black conservative American, I recognize that I did not personally endure slavery, segregation, or the Jim Crow era. Nevertheless, I cannot ignore the challenges confronting our nation today. I am troubled by the increasingly divisive rhetoric surrounding immigration, the toxic state of our political discourse, the growing extremism that has taken root on both the left and the right, and the willingness of some to flirt with authoritarian impulses when democracy becomes inconvenient. These developments give me pause. They do not diminish my love for America, but they do create reservations about the direction we are heading.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Tone of Our Country Has Changed — And Americans Can See and Feel It Everywhere

A close-up view of an American flag centerpiece on a patio table, symbolizing patriotism and community spirit.

Getty images

The Tone of Our Country Has Changed — And Americans Can See and Feel It Everywhere

Saturday, after a movie theater visit with my grandsons, we stopped in for a simple meal at a sandwich shop. We were the only customers. The young man at the register looked irritated the moment I approached. When I asked about a turkey sub, he smirked and pointed at the menu board without saying a word. When I asked whether the sandwich could be made without bacon, he stared at me with a look I won’t forget—dismissive, superior, unbothered. What concerned me even more was watching him move a few feet from the register and hover over the two young women preparing sandwiches—no gloves, no apron, no hair net, no handwashing. The sanitary issues, combined with the smirk and stare, made me uncomfortable.

I spent years in human relations and professional development, conducting sessions, training school teams, and supporting administrators as they observed classrooms and provided feedback to teachers. One of the most important concepts I taught was feeling tone—the emotional climate you sense the moment you walk into a classroom or a school building. Was it warm, safe, and welcoming? Was it conducive to learning, motivation, and the retention and transfer of knowledge? Or did it feel tense, cold, or indifferent?

Keep ReadingShow less