For today’s Better Minneapolis podcast, Tane Danger joins us as moderator for a wide-ranging conversation about what we’ve learned from a year of interviews and newsletters. Tane is co-founder of Danger Boat Productions, creators of Sketches of Minnesota — a traveling improv troupe that listens to communities across the state, turns their stories into sketches, and uses humor to bridge civic divides. He’s also no stranger to politics, having recently moderated a Minneapolis mayoral debate.
Editor’s note: In the conversation, Terry White mistakenly referenced the At-Large Park Board race while discussing ranked-choice voting. He meant the Board of Estimate & Taxation (BET). For context, the At-Large Park Board race actually has 8 candidates for 3 seats.
On Tuesday, we’ll air a conversation with Jim Rubin, a rental property owner and central figure in The Precarious State. He’ll address feedback on the documentary and provide a deeper look at housing in Minneapolis.
As election season enters its final week, now’s an excellent time to become a paid subscriber — your support helps us continue the kind of thoughtful local journalism that connects our city.
And if you’re already a subscriber, we hope to see you at our Happy Hour on Thursday, October 30 — a chance to gather, reflect, and toast to the stories that keep Minneapolis talking.
There are many candidates we have yet to interview. Please email us — soon — if you’d like to join us before election day.
Conversation Summary
This episode of Better Minneapolis turns the tables, with improv artist and civic moderator Tane Danger interviewing newsletter founder Terry White about his motivations and insights from running the project. Terry began Better Minneapolis after his own city council campaign in 2023, hoping to stay civically engaged and give residents better access to local issues. He reflected on how door-to-door campaigning revealed widespread confusion about ranked-choice voting and how many voters are focused on hyperlocal concerns—crime, encampments, and neighborhood conditions—more than big-picture policy. The experience convinced him that thoughtful, accessible local coverage could help close the information gap between government and residents.
From there, Tane and Terry discussed how Better Minneapolis has evolved into a platform for long-form civic conversations that allow candidates and community members to go deeper than they can in traditional forums. Both critiqued the “soundbite” nature of candidate debates, where strict time limits and a lack of follow-up questions leave voters with little substance. In contrast, Terry’s interviews and Tane’s community work through Sketches of Minnesota aim to foster real understanding. They agreed that listening authentically, without the goal of arguing or scoring points, is the key to rebuilding trust across political and neighborhood lines.
The conversation closed with a focus on the future—of Better Minneapolis, of local democracy, and of civic culture in the Twin Cities. Terry hopes to expand coverage to include Hennepin County, where major policy and budget decisions often fly under the radar. Both guests emphasized the need for empathy and curiosity in political life: asking candidates why they’re running, what their vision is, and how they differ from their opponents—while remembering to be kind to one another through it all. As Tane put it, we’re neighbors first, and democracy works best when we treat each other that way.
