When Small Becomes Large with Arlene Burns, Mayor of Mosier, Oregon
A Twice 5 Miles Radio Podcast hosted by James Navé
Twice 5 Miles Radio welcomes Arlene Burns, Mayor of Mosier, Oregon, to the microphone. In this conversation, Arlene and I explore the idea of what happens when small things become large. We kick-off with a question about a small guitar she owns. "What's the big deal about a guitar?" You might wonder. Well, Arlene's guitar is not just any guitar; it's one of the best guitars I've ever played.
The guitar is essential in this story because the fellow who made it lives in Mosier, which has around 455 people. The guitar story demonstrates how a small town can have an abundance of quality human and otherwise.
Arlene starts by explaining why the fellow made the guitar for her. Then, Arlene talks about how her house guests have often picked up the guitar and played it for a week while visiting Mosier. I know what she's talking about because I had the same experience while I was visiting Arlene. In short, I played the guitar constantly while I was there.
In this conversation, Arlene suggests that you can work on a small scale while still maintaining your grand visions and global aspirations. Indeed when small becomes large, small just gets bigger and bigger, no matter how tiny your town is.
Arlene also goes into why a small government works. Everyone in the Mosier government volunteers their time for free. For eight years, Arlene has been the Mayor of Mosier and has never drawn a penny for the work that sometimes takes 30 hours a week.
Arlene believes the more you put in, the more you get out. I agree with Arlene. Surprise, surprise, Arlene has rescued at least one goat as part of her Mayor or Mosier job. Now, that's an excellent example of when small becomes large. The goat was small; Arlene's actions were large. The farmer was grateful. Arlene has also been responsible for helping Mosier acquire millions of dollars in funding for improvements that will serve the greater community well beyond Mosier's city limits.
In the latter part of the interview, Arlene touches on her global experience trekking to Everest base camp, running rivers in Tibet, and using a decommission Russian tank as a shuttle vehicle on an expedition she led on Russian territory in the islands just north of Japan. How Arlene and company came by the tank is a rather rousing story. I promise you'll will enjoy it.
Arlene reminds us that we all can do good things in this world. Arlene trusts in the goodness of humanity without discounting the tough challenges our world offers these days. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed the conversation with Arlene. Remember, when small becomes large, good things happen.
