Around The MOB: America’s Small City Mayor

Nathan McLaughlin is the mayor of Clarissa, Minnesota.  And that job keeps him busy enough that America’s Small City Mayor is updated on a relatively leisurely basis.

But it’s good stuff.  McLaughlin brings a fairly keen analytical eye to covering his turf – Clarissa is between Eagle Bend and Browerville [1], up in Minnesota’s reddish-purple hinterland, where Michele Bachmann country starts to dissolve into Collin Peterson country. 

I liked this piece: “Small City Economic Overview and the Policy Bubble“.  Excerpt:

SCSU Scholars economist, King Banaian, shows in a recent study (Slowing Layoffs & Fewer Hires) that while there are fewer layoffs than in previous quarters.  The acceleration in hiring for new jobs just isn’t registering. 

In my conversation with local employers and employees this seems to be the case.  An abundance of caution is being taken to figure out a true direction in our economy.  

Accordingly, one executive, representing our areas largest employer referred to the numerous changes that might be occurring at our state and federal levels. (i.e. banking, health, taxes)  He told me their company just cannot make investments or decisions on a large scale until the legislative actions are brought to a definitive conclusion.

Many of you might remember a post on The Policy Bubble (March 2008).  I had warned about this exact circumstance.  What our free market needs is political certainty on the levels of taxation, regulation, and reform.  Right now business cannot resume until elected representatives in Washington & St. Paul get out of the way.

In a sense, this is how more politicians should blog; give the people coherent analysis, and show why it is you should be in office.

In your wanderings around and about the MOB, make sure you check out America’s Small City Mayor.

[1] Or, to give you a helpful description, it’s about 75 miles northwest of Saint Cloud.

5 thoughts on “Around The MOB: America’s Small City Mayor

  1. Let’s see, mayor of a small, frigid town nobody’s heard of… You know, if you could get this guy to quit the governorship after a few months, you’ve got yourself a presidential contender!

  2. Hey Clownboy (or Clown girlyboy)…..I guess he doesn’t have the inpeekable qualifications of being a Community Organizer.

  3. To the party of Kennedy, if you’re not a vapid rich kid, you aren’t really leadership material.

  4. Don’t be silly.

    Has this so-called leader ever appointed a czar, for instance a Downtown Diagonal Parking Czar, to reduce traffic flow on Main Street and thereby save the planet by shuttering all the businesses in town?

    Has he appointed a Grain Elevator Czar to design and oversee the execution of colorful murals on the sides of the grain bins, to be paid for by extra taxes on local farmers who sell their product there?

    Has he ever sued the local home-town bank to force them to make more bad loans to unqualified borrowers?

    Has he used the God-like powers of the local Economic Development Authority to take over the car dealerships, set salesmen pay caps and car prices, select models to be sold or obtained a giant inflatable gorilla?

    Shoot, has he ever even licked the boots of one single foreigner passing through town?

    It’s a sick joke. The guy is completely unqualified to serve as President, not after the example that’s been set by the present administration. All this guy has to offer is common sense and integrity and what Democrat has any need of those?

    .

  5. Thanks for the write-up about America’s Small City Mayor. You have described my blog perfectly and I appreciate the kind words. My analysis isn’t clever or very well written. Just the world as I see it often shooting from the hip for anyone to see.

    The comments section of the blog was great to read, as well as, the Sarah Palin comparisons. I, for one, am excited to have someone who has been a part of government at the local level bringing a voice to national politics.

    I wish I had the chance to write and post more about my thoughts on everything from government to small city life.

    However, term-limits will need to kick-in so I can have more time for blogging. Unlike other politicians I will impose term-limits on myself. No big salary, pension, or benefits…… just the real honor of knowing the people of your city entrusted you to serve as Mayor for a short period of time.

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