In a moment when the news out of Washington can seem untenably rough, when the gerontocracy that got us here won't give up their hold on power, when billionaires own every single media channel, when everything from housing to childcare to elderly care and healthcare have been made unaffordable, if accessible at all, and the question, what can I do? Can feel more fruitless than ever, I come bearing good news.

Look to the young people. Look to our school boards, our cities, and in many cases to our states, our country remains a promise unfulfilled on purpose.

You need more examples of fight and progress you can actually see and touch and feel and beginning today in partnership with our best friends at Run For Something we are doing just that.

Each episode of this new series will feature two guests, both sourced from the Run for Something pipeline and graduating classes, the next generation of American leaders.

First, I'll introduce one young elected official at the state or local level who's made real measurable progress on an issue facing more Americans than ever before.

And then in the same conversation I'll introduce a bright-eyed candidate currently running for something like a state legislature, mayor, city council, or school board, who's similarly hellbent on attacking this same issue in their hometown or state. And for all you know, it could be yours. We'll find out together what they're working on and why.

So first up today, our topic: more and more affordable homes for more of our neighbors.

It’s a big one. It’s a complicated one. There are a million ways for us to chip away at being short 4 million affordable homes and good news, again, even if it doesn’t seem that way, there are a million incredible humans already doing the work in towns and states across the country. And I’m going to introduce you to two of them today.

The first is our incumbent. Willie Burnley Jr. is a Run For Something alum who currently sits on the Somerville, Massachusetts City Council and because he is an overachiever, he is actually also running for Mayor of Somerville. Willie has firsthand experience with displacement, and he’s a fierce advocate for tenant rights and affordable housing initiatives, and he has made some real progress in Somerville.

Next I’ll talk to our candidate. Kelsea Bond is a renter, community organizer, and union member running for Atlanta City Council. They’ve organized for everyone from Nabisco workers to Delta ramp workers, and they’re running on a platform to expand inclusionary zoning, abolish parking minimums, and among other stuff, to create an Office of the Tenant Advocate.

Two amazing humans fighting more and more affordable homes for more of their neighbors, for our neighbors. Let’s find out what it means for their hometowns and for yours.

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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

Take Action at www.whatcanido.earth

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INI Book Club:

• Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas

This week we're rerunning our 2024 episode with Maddie Stone, writer of The Science of Fiction blog, to celebrate the fact that Maddie has joined our team and The Science of Fiction now lives at Important, Not Important.

The Science of Fiction explores the real-world science behind fictional monsters and alien planets, and stuff like that.

Quinn and Maddie get into the reasons why The Science of Fiction was a perfect fit for Important, Not Important, and then we get into their conversation from last year.

More on Maddie:

Maddie is a prolific science journalist. She is a doctor of earth and environmental sciences. She's the former science editor of the technology website Gizmodo, and the founding editor of Earther, Gizmodo's climate-focused vertical.

Maddie has edited articles for The Verge, Polygon, and Grist, and her original and award winning journalism has appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Grist, Vice, MIT Technology Room, Technology Review, and Drilled, and many other outlets we love and link to basically every day.

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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

Take Action at www.whatcanido.earth

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INI Book Club:

• Not The End of The World by Hannah Ritchie
• The Right to Repair by Aaron Perzanowski
• Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

• Subscribe to The Science of Fiction
• Keep up with Maddie's writing, including her recent story holding Microsoft accountable to their sustainability pledges
• Check out the Climate Reality Check report from Good Energy

Follow us:

• Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.com
• Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
• Get our

Turns out it's our 200th episode. It has been a journey.

The show is now called The Most Important Question, and I can't think of a better answer than just fucking run for something. What can I do about anything? Run for something.

And so obviously the best guest to answer that question, is returning guest, Amanda Litman.

If you are new here, she is the co-founder and president of Run For Something, which recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot office, state and local. Since launching in 2017, a hundred years ago, Run For Something has elected more than 1500 leaders across nearly 50 states, mostly women and people of color.

She's also the president of Run for Something Civics, a 501C3 that works to end the gerontocracy. Shortly after launching Run for Something, Amanda wrote a book called Run for Something: A Real Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself, and she just published her second book called When We Are In Charge: The Next Generation's Guide to Leadership. It's wonderful.

It's hugely instructive whether you are young or old and very brittle like me. It doesn't pull any punches at all because it's by Amanda. Anyone in any profession, in the year of our Lord 2025, whether this is the last year or not, will get something out of it, whether you are a leader or not yet.

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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

Take Action at www.whatcanido.earth

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INI Book Club:

• When We're In Charge by Amanda Litman
• Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

• Run, donate, or volunteer for democracy https://runforsomething.net/
• Subscribe to Run for Something's feel good updates https://rfsfeelgoodupdates.substack.com/

Follow us:

• Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.com
• Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
• Get our merch
• Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
• Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Follow Quinn: on Twitter -