Better Angels’ Director of Public Engagement Ciaran O’Connor talks with John Wood, Jr. about their respective political backgrounds — Ciaran as a former Obama & Clinton staffer and John as a former GOP nominee for Congress — and how they came to work together.

‘It absolutely changed my life’: How a conflict-ridden ‘dirtball’ became a legendary bridge builder
Growing up in the eighties, his family moved all around the Midwest as his parents chased down steady, blue-collar work: factory jobs, construction, truck driving, whatever could pay the bills. “We were always poor,” Wilk said. And whether they were in Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, or Minnesota, he often found himself on the outs. “It didn’t matter which side of the tracks we were on,” he said. “It was always the wrong side of the tracks.”

