The Strong America Tour is underway this week in Washington State (and a quick jaunt into British Columbia!). As the tour progresses this fall and into 2020, one thing we’ll be doing here is sharing the testimonials of our members who have found the Strong Towns message especially relevant to the place they live and the problems they’re facing.

One such place is Kenmore, Washington, and one such person is Kenmore’s city manager, Rob Karlinsey. Rob has to deal every day with the reality of balancing a budget and delivering the services that Kenmore residents expect from local government—and that means ensuring that as Kenmore grows and evolves, it does so in financially productive ways.

Here’s what Rob told us when we asked him why the Strong Towns messages resonates with him and why it matters for Kenmore. –Strong Towns staff.