Aaron Burnett, Mason City, Iowa

Mason City, Iowa sits in the top third of the state, almost directly at the center off I-35. A town of just over 28,000 and the boyhood home of playwright and author Meredith Wilson, creator of the Music Man. This city has continued to invest in the arts as an essential ingredient in their civic life.The pandemic and calls for racial justice created a hard stop and opportunities—opportunities to get creative about how to support the unique needs of small businesses and grow the number of minority owned businesses as the community seeks to maintain momentum; opportunities to dialogue about what it looks like to be a place where all are welcome; and opportunities to reimagine what is needed when people are free to choose where to call home because they can work from anywhere. Listen in as the City Manager, Aaron Burnett shares how they’re thinking about 2021 and beyond.The All-America City awards celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes and regions that engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective efforts to tackle critical challenges. Mason City, Iowa is all All-America City 2020 finalist.