We Are Essential!

We welcome David Strom, organizer of Essential MN, to the podcast! Essential MN is rapidly growing on both Facebook and Twitter. He has taken Governor Walz to task over his handling of the Coronavirus outbreak. We are facing severe economic consequences because of the length of this lockdown has been based on fear and accumulation of power instead of science.

Farmers are pouring out tons of milk (literally) and putting down a slew of their livestock. This creates shortages in our supply chains. So many small businesses are in danger of not opening again. What are we going to do if things don’t open very soon? How do we recover any kind of an economy?

Instead, you have a governor that has decided to confer with some of the worst governors in the country (Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin) in passing strict restrictions to destroy our liberties, our businesses, and our finances. We have one of the lowest infection rates in the country, yet we continue to crush people unnecessarily. The Governor can’t back up his measures with numbers though, and that’s where David comes in. You don’t want to miss this one.

We also discuss the latest additions to the presidential race.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

Podcast audio: http://commsolutionsmn.libsyn.com/episode-159-were-essential

YouTube: https://youtu.be/s9z_ITf8bs4

Digging in the Dirt

Soil and Water Conservation… most of us have seen it at the bottom of the ballot, but I imagine that almost none of us know what they do or who our Soil and Water Conservation Manager is. Minnesota has 87 counties, and each one has a Soil and Water Conservation District with five elected managers (except Hennepin County, which has an unelected department and three counties that have two districts: St. Louis, Otter Tail, and Polk). Enter John Ulrick, who is running for District 4 Soil and Water Conservation District in Morrison County.

John is a farmer in Morrison county that has had a long history of having to work with the Morrison County Soil and Water Conservation District to manage issues with his farm. He has had a great relationship working with and on behalf of the farmers around him. He shares his concerns in working with state and federal government and how self-sufficiency and ownership in your community can be better than waiting for the government to do something for you. It builds community and relationships between neighbors. Listen to his intriguing story and consider getting involved in some of these lesser known seats. Unless you’re in Hennepin County, these issues affect you.

In the Local Lowdown, School District 281 in Robbinsdale is putting another ten-year referendum on the ballot for $149 per year increase to property taxes (on an average home) after passing two ten-year referendums four years ago. These school districts  don’t ever seem to be held to account on their ability to create a budget and stick to it. “It’s for the kids” is their usual cry to get people to detach their minds from their wallets.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast“! You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify, or go out to the PodBabble Podcast Network!

This Is How It’s Done

We’ve told the story about what’s happened in Crystal many times. So, what happens when one of the good ones decides not to run for re-election? How does a candidate build upon what’s been accomplished and still make a case that he or she can bring something to the table to add to the positive direction a city, county, or school district is already headed in? We bring in David Seffren, who is running for the Ward 1 city council seat in Crystal. David is a long time Crystal resident who served on the City Code Task Force. We discuss how far Crystal has come over the many years he has called the city home, and how he plans to come alongside and enhance the current progress the city has made toward being transparent and responsible to the residents it serves. We talk about debt and taxation, creating a vibrant business community, communicating with residents, revising the city code, developing a sense of community, and more.

In the Local Lowdown, we breakdown the mayoral race in Eden Prairie, where we have council member, Brad Aho, running against fellow council member, Ron Case, to fill the open seat being vacated by the current mayor, Nancy Tyra-Lukens. This is an important race for the folks down in Eden Prairie if 2nd Amendment issues are important to you. Brad Aho was the only one who stood up against the moratorium on new firearms stores being opened in the city. His opponent not only approved of the measure, but said that gun owners have a visceral reaction to seeing big “guns for sale” signs, making them visibly excited. Your choice here is clear.

Also we discuss an issue in West Albany Township, near Lake City, where the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (our friends that brought us the MN Green Step Cities program) is holding public hearings on whether a farmer should be allowed to expand his dairy farm. The MPCA claims jurisdiction over the farm’s expansion due to ground water and air quality concerns. Where does the power of these radical environmentalists stop? If people in the area are concerned, why isn’t the township board of supervisors taking up the matter? The MPCA is out of control, and I hope the next governor will reign them in.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast“! You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify, or go out to the PodBabble Podcast Network!

The Real Scoop at the MNGOP Convention

Well, here we sit at the MNGOP 2018 state convention in Duluth. This is kind of surreal, as I used to door guard and usher in this building (the old Duluth Arena) for concerts, circuses, the Ice Capades, and (most importantly) UMD Bulldog hockey games. I know, I know… I was a St. Scholastica grad, but I grew up watching the Dogs, so I just needed to employ some cognitive dissonance.

It’s also strange to be sitting in the press pit after so many years spent on the floor of these things. No sudden urges to consent “aye” though. Our take is going to be a little different than most other outlets. Sure, I could tell you all about what’s happening right now as I’m listening to Mayor Randy Gilbert talk about endorsing Mary Guiliani-Stevens… but you can probably hear about all of that stuff from everyone else sitting in this area.

Then why are we here? There is a whole other story here. It is one of the two largest gatherings of political activists in the state (one being Republican and the other being Democrat). There are people here that are running for city councils, county commissions, school boards, soil and water conservation boards, sheriff… and it’s important to tell their story too.

We’ve been wandering around here since Friday, and have had people coming up to me and saying “I’m running! Now what?” We’ve also heard from those that have said, “I’ve been looking everywhere for someone that does local, Minnesota news. I’m so glad to have found you!”

In this episode, we interview some folks we knew (or met) that are running for nonpartisan offices around the state. Get introduced to John Ulrick, Paul Knier, Paul Seefeld, Derek Nelson, and Stacy Braun. They are all running for different offices, so it’s a great look into the different kind of positions available out there where you can give back to your community. We also take some time to break down the caucus/convention process and weigh it against primaries. It’s a bit longer than the average installment, but we think you are going to enjoy this one.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We just launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast“! You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify, or go out to the PodBabble Podcast Network!