June 30, 2020 • 27 mins
If you’ve lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for even a quick minute, you’ve probably heard of or ran into Josh Boschee. Josh’s community involvement, social justice activism, and political contributions resonate across party lines. Josh is known as a thoughtful and servant leader, being elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in 2012 and serving as House Minority Leader. Along with actively volunteering for a number of nonprofits and serving on numerous boards, including the executive committee for Prairie Public Broadcasting, Josh is a Realtor and business leader with Hatch Realty.
Josh is often asked to speak throughout the state on issues related to social justice, community engagement and political activism. His involvement in the greater Fargo-Moorhead community has allowed him to build relationships with individuals, employers, community groups, faith-based organizations and service providers to inform and represent some of the issues community members face locally and throughout the state.
We are thrilled to have Josh as our guest on Glaze and Grit and cannot wait to share Josh’s inspirational story with you.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Most of my life is on the interstate and the highways,
but to go South Amanda and seethe beauty on your way to
standing rock reservation, it'sjust absolutely gorgeous driving
through the children mountainsfor the first time, we're going
up to the Pembina Gorge and nowmaking sure that I go every
summer to drive at sunset acrossbasically the Northern border of
North Dakota and the UnitedStates.
There's so much greatnesshappening.
(00:21):
And again, maybe as a Democratin North Dakota where people
say, well, why wouldn't youleave?
You know, it's so conservativeor there's there's people who
aren't like you.
And it's like, no, there there'speople like me all over the
place.
We may not have the samepolitical identity or sexual
orientation or grew up the sameway, but we love our
communities.
And that's what I believe.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hi, this is Jesse.
This is Janine, and this isblaze and grant.
We're on a journey to share thereal story on the show.
Today we hear from Josh Bushay,North Dakota's house minority
leader, and what motivated himto run for state office.
We get the inside scoop of whatleaving North Dakota taught him
and how he's led the statethrough the public health crisis
(01:04):
of what is COVID 19.
Here's John.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Hey y'all can you hear me?
We can, can you hear us?
Okay.
You're like a pro at this.
You don't even, you came in andyou just knew how to do all the
tech stuff yourself.
I just know enough of the likeproblems that I've had first.
So Josh, can you believe it'sbeen, I was thinking about India
(01:28):
NCO 14 years since I first metyou.
How have you been?
Things are going well and busy,busy, busy.
So thanks so much for coming on.
And so Jesse, how long have youbeen back there?
Has it been almost a year?
It's been a crazy, crazy year.
All roads lead back to Fargo.
(01:49):
So for you, one of those spots,a literally a spot.
So I moved here from Idaho toaccept a position.
So I've been here about 10months now, but even though
Fargo's not my roots, I canunderstand why you guys see,
everyone comes back here becauseit is an awesome place.
It's a small world here inFargo, too, which is kind of
(02:12):
fun.
Yeah.
Everyone plays the do ITTO game.
Like, you know, Oh, do you knowBetsy?
You know, then you find outyou're either related or you
played basketball against eachother, basically.
All right.
Well, Josh, the most importantquestion right off the bat and
then the spirit of Midwesternvalues.
(02:33):
What is your favorite hot dish?
Oh, favorite hot dish, I guessanything with like chicken.
So I get chicken casserole, butthen when I'm breaking the
rules, cause we were talkingabout hot dishes.
So yeah, it was like a chicken.
Think of my mom made a rice, itwas rice base and had of course
the frozen vegetables with thecanned vegetables in it.
(02:53):
I never had tater tot hot dishtill I came to college.
So I didn't grow up on thecliche ultimate hot dish, but
certainly, uh, I think my momwould call it chicken casserole
or I can still see the ceramicdish with the blue and the
etching on the side that she'dmake it in.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Nice.
Well, congratulations on yourprimary wind last week.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah, we still have the general election in
November, but uh, I've lovedthis job, uh, since 2012 when I
was convinced to run for it.
And you know, we try really hardto stay engaged with folks.
So it's, it's a greatneighborhood to represent.
What drew you into politics?
Mostly.
I mean, social justice work, itwas, um, you know, as you and I
had met Jesse around some of thesocial justice work in India, SU
(03:37):
understanding my own privilege,uh, but also then dealing with
my own sexuality as I waspreparing to come out, I just
kinda headed down that path ofunderstanding how policy impacts
lives then got involved withpresident Obama's campaign in
2008 and was able to travel thestate and get college students
and faculty and staff involvedin that political campaign.
(03:57):
And that's where I learned thevalue of listening and then use
that skill, helping friends runfor office, whether they're a
city commission or legislature.
And I always say, I like being anumber two.
I don't like being a number one.
I don't like being the person upfront.
I like being the person standingbehind holding up good people.
Then in 2012, 2011, uh, wasasked a couple of times to run
(04:18):
for this legislative seat andsaid, no, wasn't interested in
that.
I wanted to continue to workingand help support other great
candidates.
But if any of your West wingfans, I got the Westwind box set
for Christmas.
And uh, so watching a week'sworth of Jed Bartlett, I was
like, well, he's doing good workon this fictional TV show.
You know, I could go do goodwork.
(04:39):
And so that helped a little bitmy drive to, to get off the
sidelines and put my name on theballot.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Well, Josh did share a high level overview of your
background for our listeners.
You grew up in might not NorthDakota attended North Dakota
state university where youearned your bachelor's and
master's degree.
You are a real estate agent andbroker with hatch Realty here in
Fargo, and are a member of theNorth Dakota house of
representatives where yourepresent district 44, you serve
on seven committees and waselected as the house minority
(05:07):
leader in 2019.
Your community involvement isexpansive serving on numerous
nonprofit organizations andboards.
Your dedication to the communityalone is inspiring.
So from that 18 year oldgraduating Bishop Ryan high
school to being the North Dakotahouse minority leader, did you
have a set plan or vision forwhat you wanted to be when you
(05:27):
grew up?
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I didn't, that's one thing I reflect on a lot things
have happened or worked out forme and I recognize that that's
not, that's not the reality fora lot of people.
A lot of people work really hardto get to where they're going
and, you know, I've worked hardat the things I've been doing,
but it's not been part of aplan.
I was going to go to college tobe a veterinarian that lasted a
week.
And then I didn't know what Iwas going to study.
Uh, but then was able to find acareer in working on a college
(05:50):
campus and helping otherstudents get involved, develop
their leadership skills to, um,getting involved in political
campaigns and social justiceissues.
And so for me, the common threadhas always been helping people.
And I think a lot of that, Iknow a lot of that is based off
of growing up in a, with mygrandma, going to church every
Saturday night to St.
(06:11):
John's Catholic church in mineat the bottom of the Hill there.
So my Catholic faith, which I'mnot necessarily active in now, I
haven't been since college, butit's still a strong part of who
I am and understanding thatwe're here to take care of one
another.
We're here to improve our livesand improve the lives of people
around us.
And we're all trying to just dothe best we can with the
resources we have.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Renee Brown describes leadership as the willingness to
step up, put yourself out thereand lean into courage.
Josh, you are the first openlygay candidate ever elected to
the state legislature in NorthDakota.
You have paved the way andinspired so many within the
LGBTQ community to share theirown stories and be empowered
(06:54):
with their own sexualorientation and how they
identify.
You've also helped advocates bemore mindful, supportive, and
aware of the challenges withinthe LGBTQ community with less
than a quarter of a percentageof elected officials nationwide
that are LGBTQ.
What drives you to step out, putyourself out there and lean into
(07:15):
courage?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
When I came out in 2005, uh, which at that age, I
would have been 23.
You know, I didn't aspire to bethe first openly gay anything,
but I do recall my experience ofcoming out in terms of, I didn't
have role models.
I know that there were gaypeople out there will, and grace
was on TV.
I didn't have faculty that Iknew were gay or coworkers very
(07:37):
much, you know, there weren'tout athletes or military or, or
other political leaders that wereally knew about.
So, you know, I just was goingto be me.
And when I came out, I wasfortunate that I didn't lose
family member.
I didn't lose friends.
I didn't lose my job.
Any of the fears I had of himwas things happening didn't
happen.
And because of that, I was ableto keep moving forward.
(07:59):
And again, that's not theexperience of a lot of people.
And so we really need tocelebrate things like happen the
other day with the Supreme courtsaying you can't discriminate
for someone, you can't firesomeone, you can't kick them out
of their apartment because ofwho they are or who they love.
We have a lot of work to dostill.
And as much as I kind of cringe,anytime there's a story written
about me and it says, Josh,Porshay comma first openly gay
(08:22):
comma legislator.
I think back to my 23, 18 yearold 16 year old self.
And if I had to read a storythat said something like that,
how different my life might havebeen growing up in Lynette or
going to MBSU and understandingthat, wait a minute, I can be
who I am.
Cause that guy up there, youknow, is in the state
legislature.
And those are some of the bestnotes I get, get some really
(08:44):
uplifting things from familymembers of LGBT North.
Dakotans the letters from momstear you apart.
And so again, you know whatwe've seen a lot of progress is
can't legislate againstdiscrimination.
We can only legislateprotections for people.
And so we have a lot of work totreat kind Lia folks to take
care of one another andrecognize that while we're
(09:06):
different, there's much morethat makes us a, like, that's
how I legislate.
That's how I do my policies.
I am a person who listens.
I, you know, and I might thinkone thing about a piece of
legislation and hearing a sidethat I haven't thought about
helps them inform me and betterprepare me for the job.
And I always tell folks that thehardest job of being a
legislator is pushing thatbutton each time.
(09:28):
Because I know when I pushedthat button, that yes or no
button on a piece oflegislation, I have to be able
to answer for why I voted thatway.
I can't think about it anymore.
I've done the action of votingand I have to stand by that
decision.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
In 2018, you ran for secretary of state, but gained a
different role.
Instead as the house minorityleader you share running for
North Dakota, secretary of statewas one of the highlights of
your life thus far.
Can you share what thatexperience taught you and what
was it that made it a highlightof your life?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I loved running for secretary of state.
I always said again, like Isaid, I wasn't going to be a
legislator.
Once I got involved in politics,I said, I will never run for
statewide office, but I lovedit.
I loved it.
I loved it.
I loved it because I got tospend time with people who love
their communities.
My first campaign stop quote,unquote to rugby.
So I was running for secretaryof state.
(10:20):
One of the big campaign issueswas on modernizing the office.
There's about seven or eightfolks that we sat around the
table at this little cafe offthe highway.
Most of the people around thetable were in their thirties and
forties and hearing theseleaders, you know, they're
business owners, some of themwere on the city council, um,
worked in nonprofits, talk abouttheir love for rugby.
(10:42):
Many of them have the story ofmoving somewhere else and then
coming back home to rugby.
And when they came home to raisetheir family, many of them made
the conscious decision of how doI make rugby a little bit more
like Minneapolis or Seattle orBozeman where they, Hey, I've
lived for a short period oftime.
So they did.
And they got involved and thiswas right around the time the
governor had his main streetinitiative going on.
(11:03):
So there's a lot of support fromthe state government to do some
things like revitalize downtownkept hitting roadblocks.
The city council would say no.
And so they said, well fine.
We'll run someone else formayor.
They ran one of the people's momfor mayor and she won.
And so they kind of just took itupon themselves and said, we're
not going to take no for ananswer.
We're going to make this thecommunity.
We want it to be, we're going tobe a stronger, healthier
(11:24):
community.
And I love stopping when I goback home to mind, I'd say, I go
the long way sometimes just so Icould stop that.
They are excellent people.
I met with real quickly to talkbefore I get back on the road.
But that's the story of why Ilove that.
Wasn't every day it may havebeen one person.
I was talking to her, butgetting to talk to people over
there.
And on top of that, seeing howbeautiful North Dakota is, most
(11:46):
of my life is on the interstateand the highways, but to go
South Amanda and see the beautyon your way to standing rock
reservation, it's justabsolutely gorgeous.
I went through the killdeermountains for the first time.
We're going up to the PembinaGorge and now making sure that I
go every summer to drive atsunset across basically the
Northern border of North Dakotain the United States.
There's so much greatnesshappening.
(12:08):
And again, maybe as a Democratin North Dakota where people
say, well, why wouldn't youleave?
You know, it's so conservativeor there's there's people who
aren't like you.
And it's like, no, there there'speople like me all over the
place.
We may not have the samepolitical identity or sexual
orientation or grew up the sameway, but we love our
communities.
And that's what I believe.
I hope that other people see inme and don't see me as a threat,
(12:29):
as a Democrat or a politicianor, or someone who's going to
try to change things.
But someone who loves his stateand his community, and isn't
going to leave you going tofight for it.
I love that.
Just the power of community.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
That's the core.
All right, Josh, I'm going tojump in because I just have to
share.
It's been awesome to hear thisbeginning part of your journey
and your story.
And as I hear you talk aboutremembering the details of your
mom's and dishware and thedescriptiveness of visiting
rugby and the interactions thatyou had with those people, you
(13:01):
are an amazing listener, but theway that you're able to connect
and retain memories and sharethat and articulate that is just
so special.
We've talked about community andyour involvement.
So many things that you've done,you've mentioned, you've always
liked to be number two.
And some of the words that I'veheard you say, you said, I
thought I would never do that.
And it always sounds like it'syou never were questioning
(13:25):
whether you had the ability, butyou consciously chose to be that
support.
That being said, when you tookthat leap into running for
secretary of state or being thatnew board committee leader, or
maybe having a conversation withsomeone who has a vastly
different political view thanyou do, what mindset do you have
going into those situations thatallowed you to step up and be
(13:46):
that front runner when maybe youwere more comfortable in that
number two support position?
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Wow.
Um, good question for me.
I realized that I can't be acomplainer it's it's not fair to
be a complainer.
It's not fair to judge someonebecause they think they're doing
something wrong or I would do itdifferently.
And maybe that's why I findmyself ending up in some of
those leadership roles is causeit's like, well, let me try.
Or these are my ideas.
I'm not going to expect someoneelse to carry out my ideas.
(14:13):
I'm going to step forward and,and hopefully bring others along
with me.
That's the biggest thing is, iswhen it all lands on your
shoulders, it's a big burden tocarry and trying to be
collaborative in my processes.
I'm in leadership roles, makingsure that it's not just about me
and advocating other good folks,I guess, back to your question.
As far as the, the mindset, my40th birthday is coming up in
(14:33):
two years and they've beenreally contemplated about what
does that mean?
And not from a midlife crisisstandpoint or anything like
that, but about, I feel I've hada pretty good life and I've been
fortunate to do great things andbe able to help a lot of people.
I'm really trying, I think, tointentional about what is the
next half of my life look like?
(14:55):
I think that's a product of nothaving those plans or things
just working out so far and justtrying to have the mindset of
setting goals and workingtowards them.
And you know, maybe a little bitmore selfish, what do I want as
an outcome or, or to be betterat, or to be able to do.
And I even hate saying that outloud, because I feel like that's
(15:16):
selfish.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
I wanted to point out one specific thing you said at
the end, because it relates somuch to what Jesse and I started
this podcast for.
And it was exact moment that yousaid, I felt bad saying that out
loud to take that time to focuson me like that selfish.
So much of what we do day in dayout is for other people because
we collaboratively, we want, Ibelieve most people are good
(15:38):
people.
They want to do good and be goodby others, but it is shining
that light on that, yourpersonal journey, who you are,
your passions and what trulyfuels you is articulated and
grown.
I think by doing that just asyou're sharing, we push
ourselves forward so that we canbuild people even more.
So even just hearing you saythat is so good for someone like
(15:59):
me to hear, to see how muchyou're involved in do those
things, because the balance iskey.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Absolutely.
And that's again, another thingI kind of maybe hate saying out
loud what this public healthcrisis, tons of horrible things
happening.
People are dying, getting sick,but it's also forced a lot of us
to slow down.
We're working from home.
You know, we're dealing withsome of those issues where you
interact with people less, but Ilandscaped my art.
You know, I would've never donethat cause it would have been so
busy going to meetings and doingother things.
(16:25):
Whereas I finally had an excuseto enjoy my art and I never
thought I'd like landscaping,but I've got a couple of flower
beds now that I'm working on it.
You know, it's just taking thattime to slow down.
And maybe that's where some ofthe contemplations coming from
for me is I've been forced towrite while I've certainly been
busy.
It's a different kind of busy inmy home place where I can stop
and think can read an extra bookevery once in a while can put a
(16:47):
garden together, mow the lawn alittle bit more.
So I know me and my partner,we've talked about that and the
fact that, okay, so as we getinto recovery and try to get to
be a healthier community, whatdoes that look like for us as
two able-bodied people who stillhave our jobs and are doing
fairly well through all this forus, it's like, well, let's eat
out less and have friends overmore.
Even if that means we need toorder food from our favorite
(17:10):
restaurants that are going toour restaurant, how can we do it
super intentional and slow downthat way
Speaker 4 (17:15):
You have any tactics or things that have been really
beneficial for you to be able torecognize that balance and move
forward and seeing exactly that,how able-bodied people we can
begin to invest more in ourcommunities and ourselves
pushing forward out of thispandemic.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
One big life lesson I've had in terms of being able
to slow down or to be even abetter leader is I'm right on
the cusp of the beginning ofbeing a millennial.
I don't have to do everything.
I can do one thing really well.
And I think that's one thing.
Maybe it's more than justmillennials, but those of us
that were of that generation tobe really involved and engaged
(17:56):
in our community, we had to doit all because if we didn't
someone else might not do it.
And recognizing that if youcreate space for other people to
, to rise up and fill thosevoids, things will be fine.
Things have been fine forhundreds of years before me.
They're going to be finehundreds of years after.
And so really just beingintentional, it doesn't all have
(18:16):
to fall on your lap.
I get asked to be a part of, alot of different things.
Tell myself I don't have to doit all and there's opportunities
for others.
And how do you bring thoseothers in to the tablets
opportunities?
Because people are naturallyalways going to go to people
like me, but there's 27 peopleholding me up the leader.
So how do I reach back and helpthose other folks have some of
(18:37):
the spotlight as well, or anopportunity to grow and learn
and lead.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Josh, obviously you spend the time to invest in
others.
You take the time to invest inyourself, moving forward.
You've created.
I would imagine just being inthis conversation inspired a lot
of individuals to take that nextstep or to move up and have a
little bit more of thatspotlight who are some
individuals that have broughtyou inspiration throughout your
(19:01):
life.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
My parents.
And I think that's important fora lot of us and maybe even our
expanded about more about thewomen in my family.
So first of all, my mom phasing,beautiful woman, she's a nurse
at Trinity hospital.
It might not.
I never realized until aboutfive years ago, how young my
parents were when they had usboys, my brother Boyd was born
when my mom was 18.
I was, my mom was 21.
(19:23):
And then my brother Wyatt was 23and they were just my parents
growing up.
So I thought the recording wouldold.
You know, they were parents.
They, that was their ageparents.
And it wasn't until, you know, Ithink probably around my 30th
birthday when I was like, wait aminute.
I, where my mom, I have an 11year old, a nine year old, a
seven year old.
Right?
And so that really was like thisunderstanding of metal.
I mean, I've always appreciatedmy mom and my parents, but once
(19:45):
she overcame as a young parentto finish up nursing school to
be a great nurse, I mean, I'vealways heard amazing stories
from folks.
Everyone knows who Sandy is.
She's worked hard, both her andmy dad have gotten into
leadership positions with theiremployers.
And it's not, I don't thinkcause they want it to be again.
I think it was just because theywere hard workers.
They were dedicated to theirjob.
They wanted the best for usboys.
(20:06):
But before my mom was hergrandma who was my grandma, her
mom, and I think of grandmaClara, who at the age of, I
can't remember if it was six oreight had polio and spent, I
think it was 13 months of herlife in an iron lung.
And when she came out of thatiron lung as a child, you know,
she had has a leg that didn'twork anymore.
So used a brace.
I never knew my grandpa.
But then to find out that mygrandma, you know, left an
(20:27):
abusive relationship and raisedfour kids on her own and the
sixties and seventies workedhard at the hotel, just
persevere.
And, and so I often look back atthe women in my life and my
family and the things they justdid.
A lot of it's survival it's theyhad to write, they had to put
food on the table or they had tomake sure that their kids had a
(20:48):
better life than they had.
If someone who doesn't havechildren and doesn't necessarily
have a desire to have children.
Now I think about that a lot interms of how can I help other
kids?
How can we be great fairygodfathers and provide, uh, the
best thing for some of our kids,our friends as kids.
And so, yeah, you know, it's myparents, it's the women in my
(21:09):
family who have really inspiredme.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
As we're talking back again, maybe more about
reflection, inspiration movingforward.
What do you think is somethingthat everyone should do at least
once in their life,
Speaker 1 (21:24):
The answer is do something new, go somewhere new,
somewhere unfamiliar.
And that's my own advice I hadto.
That was my experience.
And it made me a better personbecause of grew up here in North
Dakota, live here.
I've been here 38 years of mylife, except for three months,
there were three months whereduring graduate school, I went
to the university of TennesseeKnoxville for graduate
(21:45):
internship, as someone who'snever wanted to go anywhere else
who feels comfortable where heis.
I was able to do that threemonth experience because I knew
I was coming home at the end,but that was such a powerful
experience because of thedifferent types of students I
met.
It's actually where I gained thecourage to come out to myself
and set a plan to come out to myfriends and family afterwards.
(22:06):
And it took me leavingeverything that was familiar to
gain that confidence, tounderstand that things are a
little different and maybe it'sbecause it's elsewhere, there's
different types of people orwhatnot, but it really was.
It just, it got me out of mycomfort zone.
I've always been envious ofpeople who just can pick up and
go.
I don't feel I can do that.
(22:26):
I feel I have to have a plan.
We have to know where we'regoing and why we're going there.
And what's the purpose friendswho go backpacking for six
weeks, whether it's up in Canadaor Alaska or over to Europe, I'm
always envious of them.
And I've not gained the courageto do something like that for
myself because I'm too nervousabout the what-ifs.
(22:46):
And it's not part of a plan.
I had the opportunity in thelast year to travel
internationally a little bitthat was in Japan for two weeks
for a, uh, political exchange.
And that was a great experiencewas down at the Southern border,
us Mexico border for about 10days this February, I'm trying
to branch out and experiencethose things a little bit more
to just get outside of mycomfort level, you know, go try
(23:09):
something new
Speaker 4 (23:11):
The next time we connect.
You'll have to tell us aboutyour backpacking trip across
Europe, wink, wink, trysomething new.
It's really interesting what yousaid, Josh, because it really
resonates with me, the wholebeing a little bit scared to
take on the new and the change.
And I would imagine a lot of thelisteners feel that way as well.
(23:33):
Something also, I findinteresting listening to you
this whole time is even thoughyou say you're not a planner and
you know, that balance just theway that you are so intentional
and the way that you look andthink about life, even though
maybe it doesn't seem likeyou've had a plan.
I think subconsciously you areso observant and focused and
think through all of thesescenarios and processes that
(23:55):
it's kind of created thisopportunity because you are so
willing to think through andthink of others.
So in-depthly, and to be sofocused on the, in the moment
now, which is amazing, like I'mgoing to take a step back and be
a little bit more part of myconversations.
I think after ours, looking tothe future, what are you looking
forward to in the coming monthsand years,
Speaker 1 (24:15):
I'm really excited about the opportunities for
North Dakota.
The things that this publichealth crisis has exposed in
terms of the equity in terms ofthis impacted everybody, but
also highlighting the inequityand how there are some people
who have lived in crisis most oftheir life.
And we're just feeling it for alittle bit.
They've always been in crisisand they've needed additional
(24:35):
assistance through some of this,or even maybe persevered even
better because they've, they've,they know how to live in crisis,
but that we can be a state thatcan put our resources to making
sure that we're taking care ofthe basic needs of everybody.
And a little bit more of anequalizer in, in my hope in that
comes from knowing how to justtrying to be an unrealistic
(24:55):
thinker, but of, you know, theleadership we have in our
current governor in terms oflet's reshuffle, the deck let's
think differently about how wedeliver services and provide
government.
And while he, and I will havedifferences in terms of what
those priorities are.
I think we certainly agree inthat we can do things
differently and we can do thingsbetter.
And for me, the, the flag I'vebeen working on planting in the
(25:18):
last six months is I think NorthDakota can end poverty.
If we put our mind to it andsaid, our goal is to make sure
no one lives in poverty, we cando that.
It's amazed me how the publichealth crisis and the response
that our state government hashad has advanced.
Some of the conversations Ithought were going to take six
weeks or six years.
It took six weeks because I'mgoing to have to get into go
(25:40):
mode and realize that we have tomake sure everyone has a home
homeless people who get sickwith COVID.
You can't have them in homelessshelters.
So what ha what's it look likeif everyone has a hotel room,
what's it look like if we didn'thave anyone sleeping on the
streets, what does it look likewhen primarily women who
experienced domestic violencehave somewhere safe to go other
than just kind of a rundownapartment work with our
(26:02):
community, because that alsothen supports small business
owners because they can, we cantap into them providing meals.
And while there's a great numberof North Dakotans who receive
government assistance orgovernment programs, it's a
small number compared to thegreater scheme of the country.
And I really think that if weput our mind to it, we can help
(26:23):
those 20,000 families out withsome really focused policy and
supports.
And we're just a stronger statebecause of that.
So that's what I'm hopeful for
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Josh.
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much for sharingyour journey with us.
Thanks for joining us for thisepisode.
Glazing grit.
If you enjoyed this episode andwant to continue on this journey
with us, please like subscribeand leave us a review.
If you know of an amazingcommunity member to showcase,
please reach out to glaze ingrit@gmail.com and connect with
(26:56):
us on glazing grid, podcast.comsigning off Jesse and Janine.
Most of my life is on the interstate and the highways,
but to go South Amanda and seethe beauty on your way to
standing rock reservation, it'sjust absolutely gorgeous driving
through the children mountainsfor the first time, we're going
up to the Pembina Gorge and nowmaking sure that I go every
summer to drive at sunset acrossbasically the Northern border of
North Dakota and the UnitedStates.
There's so much greatnesshappening.
(00:21):
And again, maybe as a Democratin North Dakota where people
say, well, why wouldn't youleave?
You know, it's so conservativeor there's there's people who
aren't like you.
And it's like, no, there there'speople like me all over the
place.
We may not have the samepolitical identity or sexual
orientation or grew up the sameway, but we love our
communities.
And that's what I believe.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hi, this is Jesse.
This is Janine, and this isblaze and grant.
We're on a journey to share thereal story on the show.
Today we hear from Josh Bushay,North Dakota's house minority
leader, and what motivated himto run for state office.
We get the inside scoop of whatleaving North Dakota taught him
and how he's led the statethrough the public health crisis
(01:04):
of what is COVID 19.
Here's John.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Hey y'all can you hear me?
We can, can you hear us?
Okay.
You're like a pro at this.
You don't even, you came in andyou just knew how to do all the
tech stuff yourself.
I just know enough of the likeproblems that I've had first.
So Josh, can you believe it'sbeen, I was thinking about India
(01:28):
NCO 14 years since I first metyou.
How have you been?
Things are going well and busy,busy, busy.
So thanks so much for coming on.
And so Jesse, how long have youbeen back there?
Has it been almost a year?
It's been a crazy, crazy year.
All roads lead back to Fargo.
(01:49):
So for you, one of those spots,a literally a spot.
So I moved here from Idaho toaccept a position.
So I've been here about 10months now, but even though
Fargo's not my roots, I canunderstand why you guys see,
everyone comes back here becauseit is an awesome place.
It's a small world here inFargo, too, which is kind of
(02:12):
fun.
Yeah.
Everyone plays the do ITTO game.
Like, you know, Oh, do you knowBetsy?
You know, then you find outyou're either related or you
played basketball against eachother, basically.
All right.
Well, Josh, the most importantquestion right off the bat and
then the spirit of Midwesternvalues.
(02:33):
What is your favorite hot dish?
Oh, favorite hot dish, I guessanything with like chicken.
So I get chicken casserole, butthen when I'm breaking the
rules, cause we were talkingabout hot dishes.
So yeah, it was like a chicken.
Think of my mom made a rice, itwas rice base and had of course
the frozen vegetables with thecanned vegetables in it.
(02:53):
I never had tater tot hot dishtill I came to college.
So I didn't grow up on thecliche ultimate hot dish, but
certainly, uh, I think my momwould call it chicken casserole
or I can still see the ceramicdish with the blue and the
etching on the side that she'dmake it in.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Nice.
Well, congratulations on yourprimary wind last week.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah, we still have the general election in
November, but uh, I've lovedthis job, uh, since 2012 when I
was convinced to run for it.
And you know, we try really hardto stay engaged with folks.
So it's, it's a greatneighborhood to represent.
What drew you into politics?
Mostly.
I mean, social justice work, itwas, um, you know, as you and I
had met Jesse around some of thesocial justice work in India, SU
(03:37):
understanding my own privilege,uh, but also then dealing with
my own sexuality as I waspreparing to come out, I just
kinda headed down that path ofunderstanding how policy impacts
lives then got involved withpresident Obama's campaign in
2008 and was able to travel thestate and get college students
and faculty and staff involvedin that political campaign.
(03:57):
And that's where I learned thevalue of listening and then use
that skill, helping friends runfor office, whether they're a
city commission or legislature.
And I always say, I like being anumber two.
I don't like being a number one.
I don't like being the person upfront.
I like being the person standingbehind holding up good people.
Then in 2012, 2011, uh, wasasked a couple of times to run
(04:18):
for this legislative seat andsaid, no, wasn't interested in
that.
I wanted to continue to workingand help support other great
candidates.
But if any of your West wingfans, I got the Westwind box set
for Christmas.
And uh, so watching a week'sworth of Jed Bartlett, I was
like, well, he's doing good workon this fictional TV show.
You know, I could go do goodwork.
(04:39):
And so that helped a little bitmy drive to, to get off the
sidelines and put my name on theballot.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Well, Josh did share a high level overview of your
background for our listeners.
You grew up in might not NorthDakota attended North Dakota
state university where youearned your bachelor's and
master's degree.
You are a real estate agent andbroker with hatch Realty here in
Fargo, and are a member of theNorth Dakota house of
representatives where yourepresent district 44, you serve
on seven committees and waselected as the house minority
(05:07):
leader in 2019.
Your community involvement isexpansive serving on numerous
nonprofit organizations andboards.
Your dedication to the communityalone is inspiring.
So from that 18 year oldgraduating Bishop Ryan high
school to being the North Dakotahouse minority leader, did you
have a set plan or vision forwhat you wanted to be when you
(05:27):
grew up?
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I didn't, that's one thing I reflect on a lot things
have happened or worked out forme and I recognize that that's
not, that's not the reality fora lot of people.
A lot of people work really hardto get to where they're going
and, you know, I've worked hardat the things I've been doing,
but it's not been part of aplan.
I was going to go to college tobe a veterinarian that lasted a
week.
And then I didn't know what Iwas going to study.
Uh, but then was able to find acareer in working on a college
(05:50):
campus and helping otherstudents get involved, develop
their leadership skills to, um,getting involved in political
campaigns and social justiceissues.
And so for me, the common threadhas always been helping people.
And I think a lot of that, Iknow a lot of that is based off
of growing up in a, with mygrandma, going to church every
Saturday night to St.
(06:11):
John's Catholic church in mineat the bottom of the Hill there.
So my Catholic faith, which I'mnot necessarily active in now, I
haven't been since college, butit's still a strong part of who
I am and understanding thatwe're here to take care of one
another.
We're here to improve our livesand improve the lives of people
around us.
And we're all trying to just dothe best we can with the
resources we have.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Renee Brown describes leadership as the willingness to
step up, put yourself out thereand lean into courage.
Josh, you are the first openlygay candidate ever elected to
the state legislature in NorthDakota.
You have paved the way andinspired so many within the
LGBTQ community to share theirown stories and be empowered
(06:54):
with their own sexualorientation and how they
identify.
You've also helped advocates bemore mindful, supportive, and
aware of the challenges withinthe LGBTQ community with less
than a quarter of a percentageof elected officials nationwide
that are LGBTQ.
What drives you to step out, putyourself out there and lean into
(07:15):
courage?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
When I came out in 2005, uh, which at that age, I
would have been 23.
You know, I didn't aspire to bethe first openly gay anything,
but I do recall my experience ofcoming out in terms of, I didn't
have role models.
I know that there were gaypeople out there will, and grace
was on TV.
I didn't have faculty that Iknew were gay or coworkers very
(07:37):
much, you know, there weren'tout athletes or military or, or
other political leaders that wereally knew about.
So, you know, I just was goingto be me.
And when I came out, I wasfortunate that I didn't lose
family member.
I didn't lose friends.
I didn't lose my job.
Any of the fears I had of himwas things happening didn't
happen.
And because of that, I was ableto keep moving forward.
(07:59):
And again, that's not theexperience of a lot of people.
And so we really need tocelebrate things like happen the
other day with the Supreme courtsaying you can't discriminate
for someone, you can't firesomeone, you can't kick them out
of their apartment because ofwho they are or who they love.
We have a lot of work to dostill.
And as much as I kind of cringe,anytime there's a story written
about me and it says, Josh,Porshay comma first openly gay
(08:22):
comma legislator.
I think back to my 23, 18 yearold 16 year old self.
And if I had to read a storythat said something like that,
how different my life might havebeen growing up in Lynette or
going to MBSU and understandingthat, wait a minute, I can be
who I am.
Cause that guy up there, youknow, is in the state
legislature.
And those are some of the bestnotes I get, get some really
(08:44):
uplifting things from familymembers of LGBT North.
Dakotans the letters from momstear you apart.
And so again, you know whatwe've seen a lot of progress is
can't legislate againstdiscrimination.
We can only legislateprotections for people.
And so we have a lot of work totreat kind Lia folks to take
care of one another andrecognize that while we're
(09:06):
different, there's much morethat makes us a, like, that's
how I legislate.
That's how I do my policies.
I am a person who listens.
I, you know, and I might thinkone thing about a piece of
legislation and hearing a sidethat I haven't thought about
helps them inform me and betterprepare me for the job.
And I always tell folks that thehardest job of being a
legislator is pushing thatbutton each time.
(09:28):
Because I know when I pushedthat button, that yes or no
button on a piece oflegislation, I have to be able
to answer for why I voted thatway.
I can't think about it anymore.
I've done the action of votingand I have to stand by that
decision.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
In 2018, you ran for secretary of state, but gained a
different role.
Instead as the house minorityleader you share running for
North Dakota, secretary of statewas one of the highlights of
your life thus far.
Can you share what thatexperience taught you and what
was it that made it a highlightof your life?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I loved running for secretary of state.
I always said again, like Isaid, I wasn't going to be a
legislator.
Once I got involved in politics,I said, I will never run for
statewide office, but I lovedit.
I loved it.
I loved it.
I loved it because I got tospend time with people who love
their communities.
My first campaign stop quote,unquote to rugby.
So I was running for secretaryof state.
(10:20):
One of the big campaign issueswas on modernizing the office.
There's about seven or eightfolks that we sat around the
table at this little cafe offthe highway.
Most of the people around thetable were in their thirties and
forties and hearing theseleaders, you know, they're
business owners, some of themwere on the city council, um,
worked in nonprofits, talk abouttheir love for rugby.
(10:42):
Many of them have the story ofmoving somewhere else and then
coming back home to rugby.
And when they came home to raisetheir family, many of them made
the conscious decision of how doI make rugby a little bit more
like Minneapolis or Seattle orBozeman where they, Hey, I've
lived for a short period oftime.
So they did.
And they got involved and thiswas right around the time the
governor had his main streetinitiative going on.
(11:03):
So there's a lot of support fromthe state government to do some
things like revitalize downtownkept hitting roadblocks.
The city council would say no.
And so they said, well fine.
We'll run someone else formayor.
They ran one of the people's momfor mayor and she won.
And so they kind of just took itupon themselves and said, we're
not going to take no for ananswer.
We're going to make this thecommunity.
We want it to be, we're going tobe a stronger, healthier
(11:24):
community.
And I love stopping when I goback home to mind, I'd say, I go
the long way sometimes just so Icould stop that.
They are excellent people.
I met with real quickly to talkbefore I get back on the road.
But that's the story of why Ilove that.
Wasn't every day it may havebeen one person.
I was talking to her, butgetting to talk to people over
there.
And on top of that, seeing howbeautiful North Dakota is, most
(11:46):
of my life is on the interstateand the highways, but to go
South Amanda and see the beautyon your way to standing rock
reservation, it's justabsolutely gorgeous.
I went through the killdeermountains for the first time.
We're going up to the PembinaGorge and now making sure that I
go every summer to drive atsunset across basically the
Northern border of North Dakotain the United States.
There's so much greatnesshappening.
(12:08):
And again, maybe as a Democratin North Dakota where people
say, well, why wouldn't youleave?
You know, it's so conservativeor there's there's people who
aren't like you.
And it's like, no, there there'speople like me all over the
place.
We may not have the samepolitical identity or sexual
orientation or grew up the sameway, but we love our
communities.
And that's what I believe.
I hope that other people see inme and don't see me as a threat,
(12:29):
as a Democrat or a politicianor, or someone who's going to
try to change things.
But someone who loves his stateand his community, and isn't
going to leave you going tofight for it.
I love that.
Just the power of community.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
That's the core.
All right, Josh, I'm going tojump in because I just have to
share.
It's been awesome to hear thisbeginning part of your journey
and your story.
And as I hear you talk aboutremembering the details of your
mom's and dishware and thedescriptiveness of visiting
rugby and the interactions thatyou had with those people, you
(13:01):
are an amazing listener, but theway that you're able to connect
and retain memories and sharethat and articulate that is just
so special.
We've talked about community andyour involvement.
So many things that you've done,you've mentioned, you've always
liked to be number two.
And some of the words that I'veheard you say, you said, I
thought I would never do that.
And it always sounds like it'syou never were questioning
(13:25):
whether you had the ability, butyou consciously chose to be that
support.
That being said, when you tookthat leap into running for
secretary of state or being thatnew board committee leader, or
maybe having a conversation withsomeone who has a vastly
different political view thanyou do, what mindset do you have
going into those situations thatallowed you to step up and be
(13:46):
that front runner when maybe youwere more comfortable in that
number two support position?
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Wow.
Um, good question for me.
I realized that I can't be acomplainer it's it's not fair to
be a complainer.
It's not fair to judge someonebecause they think they're doing
something wrong or I would do itdifferently.
And maybe that's why I findmyself ending up in some of
those leadership roles is causeit's like, well, let me try.
Or these are my ideas.
I'm not going to expect someoneelse to carry out my ideas.
(14:13):
I'm going to step forward and,and hopefully bring others along
with me.
That's the biggest thing is, iswhen it all lands on your
shoulders, it's a big burden tocarry and trying to be
collaborative in my processes.
I'm in leadership roles, makingsure that it's not just about me
and advocating other good folks,I guess, back to your question.
As far as the, the mindset, my40th birthday is coming up in
(14:33):
two years and they've beenreally contemplated about what
does that mean?
And not from a midlife crisisstandpoint or anything like
that, but about, I feel I've hada pretty good life and I've been
fortunate to do great things andbe able to help a lot of people.
I'm really trying, I think, tointentional about what is the
next half of my life look like?
(14:55):
I think that's a product of nothaving those plans or things
just working out so far and justtrying to have the mindset of
setting goals and workingtowards them.
And you know, maybe a little bitmore selfish, what do I want as
an outcome or, or to be betterat, or to be able to do.
And I even hate saying that outloud, because I feel like that's
(15:16):
selfish.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
I wanted to point out one specific thing you said at
the end, because it relates somuch to what Jesse and I started
this podcast for.
And it was exact moment that yousaid, I felt bad saying that out
loud to take that time to focuson me like that selfish.
So much of what we do day in dayout is for other people because
we collaboratively, we want, Ibelieve most people are good
(15:38):
people.
They want to do good and be goodby others, but it is shining
that light on that, yourpersonal journey, who you are,
your passions and what trulyfuels you is articulated and
grown.
I think by doing that just asyou're sharing, we push
ourselves forward so that we canbuild people even more.
So even just hearing you saythat is so good for someone like
(15:59):
me to hear, to see how muchyou're involved in do those
things, because the balance iskey.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Absolutely.
And that's again, another thingI kind of maybe hate saying out
loud what this public healthcrisis, tons of horrible things
happening.
People are dying, getting sick,but it's also forced a lot of us
to slow down.
We're working from home.
You know, we're dealing withsome of those issues where you
interact with people less, but Ilandscaped my art.
You know, I would've never donethat cause it would have been so
busy going to meetings and doingother things.
(16:25):
Whereas I finally had an excuseto enjoy my art and I never
thought I'd like landscaping,but I've got a couple of flower
beds now that I'm working on it.
You know, it's just taking thattime to slow down.
And maybe that's where some ofthe contemplations coming from
for me is I've been forced towrite while I've certainly been
busy.
It's a different kind of busy inmy home place where I can stop
and think can read an extra bookevery once in a while can put a
(16:47):
garden together, mow the lawn alittle bit more.
So I know me and my partner,we've talked about that and the
fact that, okay, so as we getinto recovery and try to get to
be a healthier community, whatdoes that look like for us as
two able-bodied people who stillhave our jobs and are doing
fairly well through all this forus, it's like, well, let's eat
out less and have friends overmore.
Even if that means we need toorder food from our favorite
(17:10):
restaurants that are going toour restaurant, how can we do it
super intentional and slow downthat way
Speaker 4 (17:15):
You have any tactics or things that have been really
beneficial for you to be able torecognize that balance and move
forward and seeing exactly that,how able-bodied people we can
begin to invest more in ourcommunities and ourselves
pushing forward out of thispandemic.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
One big life lesson I've had in terms of being able
to slow down or to be even abetter leader is I'm right on
the cusp of the beginning ofbeing a millennial.
I don't have to do everything.
I can do one thing really well.
And I think that's one thing.
Maybe it's more than justmillennials, but those of us
that were of that generation tobe really involved and engaged
(17:56):
in our community, we had to doit all because if we didn't
someone else might not do it.
And recognizing that if youcreate space for other people to
, to rise up and fill thosevoids, things will be fine.
Things have been fine forhundreds of years before me.
They're going to be finehundreds of years after.
And so really just beingintentional, it doesn't all have
(18:16):
to fall on your lap.
I get asked to be a part of, alot of different things.
Tell myself I don't have to doit all and there's opportunities
for others.
And how do you bring thoseothers in to the tablets
opportunities?
Because people are naturallyalways going to go to people
like me, but there's 27 peopleholding me up the leader.
So how do I reach back and helpthose other folks have some of
(18:37):
the spotlight as well, or anopportunity to grow and learn
and lead.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Josh, obviously you spend the time to invest in
others.
You take the time to invest inyourself, moving forward.
You've created.
I would imagine just being inthis conversation inspired a lot
of individuals to take that nextstep or to move up and have a
little bit more of thatspotlight who are some
individuals that have broughtyou inspiration throughout your
(19:01):
life.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
My parents.
And I think that's important fora lot of us and maybe even our
expanded about more about thewomen in my family.
So first of all, my mom phasing,beautiful woman, she's a nurse
at Trinity hospital.
It might not.
I never realized until aboutfive years ago, how young my
parents were when they had usboys, my brother Boyd was born
when my mom was 18.
I was, my mom was 21.
(19:23):
And then my brother Wyatt was 23and they were just my parents
growing up.
So I thought the recording wouldold.
You know, they were parents.
They, that was their ageparents.
And it wasn't until, you know, Ithink probably around my 30th
birthday when I was like, wait aminute.
I, where my mom, I have an 11year old, a nine year old, a
seven year old.
Right?
And so that really was like thisunderstanding of metal.
I mean, I've always appreciatedmy mom and my parents, but once
(19:45):
she overcame as a young parentto finish up nursing school to
be a great nurse, I mean, I'vealways heard amazing stories
from folks.
Everyone knows who Sandy is.
She's worked hard, both her andmy dad have gotten into
leadership positions with theiremployers.
And it's not, I don't thinkcause they want it to be again.
I think it was just because theywere hard workers.
They were dedicated to theirjob.
They wanted the best for usboys.
(20:06):
But before my mom was hergrandma who was my grandma, her
mom, and I think of grandmaClara, who at the age of, I
can't remember if it was six oreight had polio and spent, I
think it was 13 months of herlife in an iron lung.
And when she came out of thatiron lung as a child, you know,
she had has a leg that didn'twork anymore.
So used a brace.
I never knew my grandpa.
But then to find out that mygrandma, you know, left an
(20:27):
abusive relationship and raisedfour kids on her own and the
sixties and seventies workedhard at the hotel, just
persevere.
And, and so I often look back atthe women in my life and my
family and the things they justdid.
A lot of it's survival it's theyhad to write, they had to put
food on the table or they had tomake sure that their kids had a
(20:48):
better life than they had.
If someone who doesn't havechildren and doesn't necessarily
have a desire to have children.
Now I think about that a lot interms of how can I help other
kids?
How can we be great fairygodfathers and provide, uh, the
best thing for some of our kids,our friends as kids.
And so, yeah, you know, it's myparents, it's the women in my
(21:09):
family who have really inspiredme.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
As we're talking back again, maybe more about
reflection, inspiration movingforward.
What do you think is somethingthat everyone should do at least
once in their life,
Speaker 1 (21:24):
The answer is do something new, go somewhere new,
somewhere unfamiliar.
And that's my own advice I hadto.
That was my experience.
And it made me a better personbecause of grew up here in North
Dakota, live here.
I've been here 38 years of mylife, except for three months,
there were three months whereduring graduate school, I went
to the university of TennesseeKnoxville for graduate
(21:45):
internship, as someone who'snever wanted to go anywhere else
who feels comfortable where heis.
I was able to do that threemonth experience because I knew
I was coming home at the end,but that was such a powerful
experience because of thedifferent types of students I
met.
It's actually where I gained thecourage to come out to myself
and set a plan to come out to myfriends and family afterwards.
(22:06):
And it took me leavingeverything that was familiar to
gain that confidence, tounderstand that things are a
little different and maybe it'sbecause it's elsewhere, there's
different types of people orwhatnot, but it really was.
It just, it got me out of mycomfort zone.
I've always been envious ofpeople who just can pick up and
go.
I don't feel I can do that.
(22:26):
I feel I have to have a plan.
We have to know where we'regoing and why we're going there.
And what's the purpose friendswho go backpacking for six
weeks, whether it's up in Canadaor Alaska or over to Europe, I'm
always envious of them.
And I've not gained the courageto do something like that for
myself because I'm too nervousabout the what-ifs.
(22:46):
And it's not part of a plan.
I had the opportunity in thelast year to travel
internationally a little bitthat was in Japan for two weeks
for a, uh, political exchange.
And that was a great experiencewas down at the Southern border,
us Mexico border for about 10days this February, I'm trying
to branch out and experiencethose things a little bit more
to just get outside of mycomfort level, you know, go try
(23:09):
something new
Speaker 4 (23:11):
The next time we connect.
You'll have to tell us aboutyour backpacking trip across
Europe, wink, wink, trysomething new.
It's really interesting what yousaid, Josh, because it really
resonates with me, the wholebeing a little bit scared to
take on the new and the change.
And I would imagine a lot of thelisteners feel that way as well.
(23:33):
Something also, I findinteresting listening to you
this whole time is even thoughyou say you're not a planner and
you know, that balance just theway that you are so intentional
and the way that you look andthink about life, even though
maybe it doesn't seem likeyou've had a plan.
I think subconsciously you areso observant and focused and
think through all of thesescenarios and processes that
(23:55):
it's kind of created thisopportunity because you are so
willing to think through andthink of others.
So in-depthly, and to be sofocused on the, in the moment
now, which is amazing, like I'mgoing to take a step back and be
a little bit more part of myconversations.
I think after ours, looking tothe future, what are you looking
forward to in the coming monthsand years,
Speaker 1 (24:15):
I'm really excited about the opportunities for
North Dakota.
The things that this publichealth crisis has exposed in
terms of the equity in terms ofthis impacted everybody, but
also highlighting the inequityand how there are some people
who have lived in crisis most oftheir life.
And we're just feeling it for alittle bit.
They've always been in crisisand they've needed additional
(24:35):
assistance through some of this,or even maybe persevered even
better because they've, they've,they know how to live in crisis,
but that we can be a state thatcan put our resources to making
sure that we're taking care ofthe basic needs of everybody.
And a little bit more of anequalizer in, in my hope in that
comes from knowing how to justtrying to be an unrealistic
(24:55):
thinker, but of, you know, theleadership we have in our
current governor in terms oflet's reshuffle, the deck let's
think differently about how wedeliver services and provide
government.
And while he, and I will havedifferences in terms of what
those priorities are.
I think we certainly agree inthat we can do things
differently and we can do thingsbetter.
And for me, the, the flag I'vebeen working on planting in the
(25:18):
last six months is I think NorthDakota can end poverty.
If we put our mind to it andsaid, our goal is to make sure
no one lives in poverty, we cando that.
It's amazed me how the publichealth crisis and the response
that our state government hashad has advanced.
Some of the conversations Ithought were going to take six
weeks or six years.
It took six weeks because I'mgoing to have to get into go
(25:40):
mode and realize that we have tomake sure everyone has a home
homeless people who get sickwith COVID.
You can't have them in homelessshelters.
So what ha what's it look likeif everyone has a hotel room,
what's it look like if we didn'thave anyone sleeping on the
streets, what does it look likewhen primarily women who
experienced domestic violencehave somewhere safe to go other
than just kind of a rundownapartment work with our
(26:02):
community, because that alsothen supports small business
owners because they can, we cantap into them providing meals.
And while there's a great numberof North Dakotans who receive
government assistance orgovernment programs, it's a
small number compared to thegreater scheme of the country.
And I really think that if weput our mind to it, we can help
(26:23):
those 20,000 families out withsome really focused policy and
supports.
And we're just a stronger statebecause of that.
So that's what I'm hopeful for
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Josh.
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much for sharingyour journey with us.
Thanks for joining us for thisepisode.
Glazing grit.
If you enjoyed this episode andwant to continue on this journey
with us, please like subscribeand leave us a review.
If you know of an amazingcommunity member to showcase,
please reach out to glaze ingrit@gmail.com and connect with
(26:56):
us on glazing grid, podcast.comsigning off Jesse and Janine.
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