Zac sits down with his friend and new Baltimorean Pete Davis — co-creator of the Netflix documentary Join or Die — to talk about a question that shapes everything else in local government: what actually holds a community together?

Pete unpacks the ideas behind Join or Die, built on Robert Putnam's research into declining civic participation, and makes the case that democracy doesn't just run on good government — it runs on clubs, neighbors, and ordinary relationships. They also preview Pete's upcoming second book, working title Hail the Cultivators: Why Slow Culture Is Our Only Quick Fix, which pushes back on the idea that any city problem has a silver-bullet solution.

Contact

Have a question, story idea, or feedback for the show? Reach out to Zac Blanchard's office:

• Show Website: https://blanchardbaltimore.transistor.fm/
• Councilman's Official Page: https://www.baltimorecity.gov/city-council/zac-blanchard-district-11
• Email: zachary.blanchard@baltimorecity.gov

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• (00:00) - – Why Community Comes First
• (02:05) - – Join or Die: The Documentary
• (08:08) - – Robert Putnam & the Decline of Civic Life
• (09:04) - – A Story About What Community Actually Does
• (18:35) - – Baltimore's Own Neighborhood Culture
• (18:56) - – Pete's Next Book: Hail the Cultivators
• (20:05) - – Why There's No Silver Bullet
• (25:04) - – Building Real Expertise in Community