Official Website of Thomas E. Brymer
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. — John F. Kennedy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THOMAS BRYMER spent 43 years working on the front line of American democracy in city government. During that time, he observed an alarming decline in Americans’ knowledge about their democracy, and their constructive participation in it.
This civic illiteracy reached a crescendo during the Trump presidency, the 2020 election, the insurrection of January 6, and subsequent events, all of which threaten the very existence of one of the world’s longest lasting liberal democratic republics.
In Fighting for Democracy, Brymer sounds a clarion call that it is not too late to give Americans a higher level of knowledge about their government. Brymer lays out exactly what this new civics education should include with the goal of nothing less than equipping Americans to effectively participate in a 21st century democracy.
Mike Conduff
President and CEO, The Elim Group, Governance Consultancy
Tom Brymer has spent his career delivering democracy to the doorsteps of his communities. Now he is sharing his insights on how to preserve it! Fighting for Democracy is a must-read that reminds all of us of the dangers of taking democracy for granted. It provides the roadmap on how we can preserve and protect it.
Laura Wheat
Mayor, Town of Westlake, Texas
2008-2022
In Fighting for Democracy, Tom shares the insights he gained during his stellar career in city management where he daily delivered democracy to those he served. In these pages, Tom artfully explains what democracy means and why our democracy is in peril. More importantly, he offers common-sense solutions to the issues we face today. I suggest you get your highlighter ready.
Ron Holifield
Chief Executive Officer,
SGR Local Government Consultancy
And Interim Executive Director,
Alliance for Innovation
We all feel anxious and threatened like the earth is trembling under our feet, wondering if our political system will ever be stable again. Tom does an extraordinary job of helping us understand the source of our dysfunction and the path forward to reclaim our place in the world as the role model of democracy.
WE ALONE CAN FIX IT
A TIME LIKE NO OTHER TO SAY THE LEAST
These years have been a kind of living laboratory of American democracy where we have witnessed both triumph and tragedy as it relates to preserving and protecting the governance, institutions, practice, and in some cases, the failure, of American democracy. Much of what has happened had been brought to our attention long before the events of the last four to five years.
But happen, it did. READ MORE
Welcome
to MY Site
People have asked why I wrote this book. In Fighting for Democracy I lay out a roadmap for improving our civic education so we can withstand the anti-democratic movement facing our nation.