Fixing Your Town-Local Activism-Part 1-Bob Davis Podcast 802

Fixing Your Town-Local Activism-Part 1-Bob Davis Podcast 802

These days there’s so much focus on national issues. Most of us do not realize we can have a big impact on our local towns. Two guys who know the drill join me from Community Solutions MN in Fixing Your Town-Local Activism-Part 1-Bob Davis Podcast 802.

Local Activism

Jason Bradley and Andrew Richter tell their story in part 1 of an epic interview. I like Jason and Andrew because they’ve forgotten more about local activism than most people have learned.

Told To Pound Sand

Jason and Andrew got started as two citizens upset over a proposed road widening. The spark? When they protested, the city government told them to pound sand. Learn more in Fixing Your Town-Local Activism-Part 1-Bob Davis Podcast 802.

The Death of Rural America

I have reported on and talked a lot about national and state issues in these podcasts. Media misses an especially relevant truth. Small towns are often told what to do by state and federal agencies. Jason and Andrew have called this the death of rural America.

You Are Not Powerless

This podcast tells a story. That story helps people understand they are not powerless. Community Solutions MN can help people in townships, small towns, and especially suburbs that ring major cities.

Taxpayers Foot The Bill

Finally, we’ve all heard of the special deals big companies get to put warehouses, plants, stores and ‘research facilities‘ in states and major cities. Did you know this is happening in small towns and suburban villages too? Truth is the taxpayer foots the bill.

Perfumed Princes Thrown Out Of Office

In conclusion most of the time city councils, county councils and township governments get the feeling they can do whatever they want. Part 1 of this interview shows citizens can take back their town and their county, much to chagrin of the so called perfumed princes who act as though their exalted position is their birthright.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating Metro-wide FromSaint Paul

Fixing Your Town-Local Activism-Part 1-Bob Davis Podcast 802

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Podcast 342

Fighting City Hall. They say you can’t fight city hall and win, but residents of Invergrove Heights, Minnesota recently proved getting involved in your community has a big pay off. Unelected planning councils, county planning commissions, and other layers of local, regional and state government can sometimes be daunting. There are a lot of complaints about the heavy hand of government, and you often hear the words, “I would get involved but it never does any good anyway”. A group of residents in “InverGrove” as it is called, found out they were going to lose their homes through Eminent Domain Condemnation when they learned the county planned to build a 6 lane highway right on top of their homes. Homeowners gathered, organized, learned the details, suggesting solutions. Moreover, they learned to work together. Sometimes partisanship can be a great thing, but sometimes the ‘my way or the highway’ approach literally means, the highway. Learn how these people worked the system to a ‘win-win’, and how compromise isn’t always a dirty word. The question is whether this kind of approach can be applied to bigger problems in bigger cities; Invergrove Heights is a suburban city of about thirty two thousand people. The moral of the story? Faceless councils and bureaucrats make decisions for communities that are often simply guidelines, and they’re adopted because no one says anything. You can alter these plans if you get involved. Hear how they did it, in their own words. By the way, yes we can cover local stories from the road, this time in Amarillo, Texas! Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

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Podcast 66

Lots of talk these days about the US Congress and the Federal Government. When the State Legislatures are back in session, there will be a lot of talk about what they are doing to us. But what about your local government? Town and cities? And what about your local School Boards. Someone has to run these local government entities. I hosted a local government forum in New Brighton, Minnesota recently, and learned they’re dealing with the same issues as the Federal and State governments. It reminds me, at the local level, citizens can have a big impact. All you have to do is get involved. Sponsored by www.Xgovernmentcars.com.

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