Back to Basics Q&A

Last month I participated in a local conference called Back to Basics. I gave a local version of the Curbside Chat presentation and then was part of a panel discussion immediately afterwards. I was surprised to find out this week that, not only was my presentation available on YouTube, but some of the panel Q&A was as well.

If you want, you can watch the entire presentation. Today, however, I wanted to share with you the Q&A, which was more impromtu and -- as you will see -- I got a little more passionate about some things than my typical Minnesota-nice approach. The camera angle is not the greatest -- I am still losing weight from the hypothyroid issue and I'm not sure what was going on with my hair -- but the audio is good.

And for my friends in Northfield, I reveal my love for your city. No denying it now.

Question 1: How do you build engagement in a community? My answer: Make it matter.

Question 2: What is your favorite example of a resilient community (in Minnesota)? My answer: Northfield.

Question 3: What changes in the future will benefit rural Minnesota? My answer: More expensive energy.

Question 4: How do we fund all this stuff? My answer: We're so rich that it is just a matter of making some real choices.

Many thanks to Happy Dancing Turtle for putting on this event and inviting me to speak at it.

Comments

[Eli Damon]

Can you give specifics on the cost of highways that you mentioned in Question 4?

[Nathanael]

Northfield's lovely, but it needs (a) a passenger train to the Twin Cities (there's a reason so many college students make efforts to get cars, and that's it -- the buses are OK-but) and (b) a less scary way to cross highway 3 on foot (narrower road, patterned crosswalks, I don't know).