Interview Program

In-Depth Interviews Elevating Local Solutions

BDI conducts extensive quarterly interviews with local elected officials and releases summary briefs that highlight individual stories and responses in order to build a broad catalog of needs, resources, and effective interventions from the ground up.

Reports

In Their Own Words: Threats and Harassment Facing Local Officials
May 25, 2023

This report offers preliminary insights and reflections on the experiences of local officials facing threats and harassment, in their own words, through conversations with 30 elected officials from across a broad range of locations, demographics, and ideologies. Much of the existing work on threats and harassment of officials looks outside the United States and focuses mostly on national and high-profile elected officials. This report centers on local officials, with many of them serving in small communities, often missed in national-level conversations.