On any given day, Minnesotans can pick up the newspaper and see evidence of partisanship at play in our state and national politics. It’s enough to turn many off. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Throughout November 2011, I was proud to be a part of a statewide effort to bring together Minnesota’s nonpartisan local government leaders to talk about how we can work together to deliver public services more efficiently and for better outcomes. These Local Government Innovation Forums were co-sponsored by the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) and Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) in partnership with InCommons and the Bi-Partisan House Redesign Caucus, which I co-chair.  It’s not often that such esteemed associations come together to address a shared concern, and I was excited to see them coalesce around an issue so important to the future of our state: redesign.

Redesign has the attention of our local leaders and members of the Legislature, like me, because we know that innovative thinking is what we need to grow Minnesota’s economy and maintain the state’s high-quality public services and outstanding quality of life. We understand that our state, and nation, is facing a “new normal.”  Our aging population and shrinking workforce are placing new demands on our public services, while changes in our economy mean that we won’t have the tax dollars to keep up.

In this “new normal,” our choices for preserving Minnesota’s high-quality public services are few and clear: We could focus our attention on the traditional political choices of to cut or to tax, or we could turn our attention toward innovation and redesign. With more than 400 local government leaders attending the Innovation Forums, it’s clear that our elected officials at all levels of government are looking for ways to work together and unlock the true potential of redesign.

At each of the six events, I had the opportunity to sit with local government leaders from different jurisdictions and perspectives. In each instance, I was encouraged by the ideas for collaboration that emerged.  We heard about cross-jurisdictional collaborations and innovations already underway in services ranging from snow removal and policing services, to offering top-notch high school electives and providing communities access to a variety of health and human services.

Yet these events weren’t just about the ideas generated. They were also about building relationships among our local government leaders to equip them to continue generating innovations in the months and years ahead. Take my experience at the Marshall event. That night I sat at a table with representatives of the local services co-operative, the city, the county and the school district. Each of these people knew each other, but through our conversations, it quickly became clear that they had never had the chance to spend time learning about each other’s work. They hadn’t had the space to sit together and have an honest conversation about how they could each help each other do their work better. Because of these events, I’m convinced that these local leaders will continue their conversations and the Marshall-area residents will be the benefactors of those conversations for years to come.

It’s just one of the countless examples I experienced during the forums – and it’s just one of the many reasons I believe that Minnesota’s local governments will be on the forefront of this important work to preserve what’s great about our state.

It’s worth noting that none of these events would have been possible without the generous support of the Bush Foundation and InCommons. Their commitment to inspiring and facilitating courageous conversations, like those hosted at the Innovation Forums, are equipping a new generation of Minnesotans to tackle everyday problems in their communities. It’s awe-inspiring to see so many ideas sparked through their support.

And this is not the end. I know the House Redesign Caucus and all of the partners involved with November’s Innovation Forums plan to continue this conversation with all Minnesotans. Thank you once again, Bush Foundation, for all of your support!

Representative Carol McFarlane is the co-chair of the Minnesota House Redesign Caucus and represents District 53B.

Talk back to Bush

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