Plain Talk

Forum Communications Co.
Forum Communications Co.
  • 3.8 (86)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

Plain Talk is a podcast hosted by Rob Port and Chad Oban focusing on political news and current events in North Dakota. Port is a columnist for the Forum News Service published in papers including the Fargo Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Jamestown Sun, and the Dickinson Press. Oban is a long-time political consultant.

  1. 2d ago ·  Video

    724: 'A healer instead of just a technician' (Video)

    The North Dakota Democratic-NPL had a strong recruitment season for legislative candidates. Among them is Dr. Chris Tiongson, a pediatrician seeking a seat in the state House of Representatives in Fargo-area District 41. Running for elected office is a daunting task. It's a lot of work and it comes with a public spotlight, and the public can be cruel, so why did Tiongson decide to take time away from his medical practice to run? "As I've seen over the years, almost 30 years in pediatrics now, there are so many things that are happening outside the exam room that parents and families really don't have control over that affect their health," he told us on this episode of Plain Talk. "Like pollution, poverty, housing insecurity, food insecurity, racism, bullying, all that kind of stuff. And I felt like I can have a greater impact helping the health of our community working on public policy as opposed to just one patient at a time in the exam room or one patient at a time in a in a hospital bed." But Tiongson says he understand the push and pull of governance, and that there "are costs to every sort of decision that you make." "What makes difficult decisions is when there are competing virtues that are both good, like being fiscally responsible as a government and providing for basic needs for people who need them," he told us. Also on this episode, guest co-host Rep. Zac Ista and I discuss the "brutal gauntlet" first-time candidates face as they enter the political arena and how many more of them will need to brave it as term limits for state lawmakers kick in. We also discuss Gov. Kelly Armstrong's decision to vote against the school meals constitutional amendment that will appear on the November ballot, despite backing similar statutory language during a special legislative session earlier this year, as well as the upcoming TedX event in Fargo next week. Plain Talk's schedule will be distrupted a bit next week. I'm speaking at the TedX event, but we'll also be recording an episode of the show from the venue in Fargo. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  2. 2d ago

    724: 'A healer instead of just a technician'

    The North Dakota Democratic-NPL had a strong recruitment season for legislative candidates. Among them is Dr. Chris Tiongson, a pediatrician seeking a seat in the state House of Representatives in Fargo-area District 41. Running for elected office is a daunting task. It's a lot of work and it comes with a public spotlight, and the public can be cruel, so why did Tiongson decide to take time away from his medical practice to run? "As I've seen over the years, almost 30 years in pediatrics now, there are so many things that are happening outside the exam room that parents and families really don't have control over that affect their health," he told us on this episode of Plain Talk. "Like pollution, poverty, housing insecurity, food insecurity, racism, bullying, all that kind of stuff. And I felt like I can have a greater impact helping the health of our community working on public policy as opposed to just one patient at a time in the exam room or one patient at a time in a in a hospital bed." But Tiongson says he understand the push and pull of governance, and that there "are costs to every sort of decision that you make." "What makes difficult decisions is when there are competing virtues that are both good, like being fiscally responsible as a government and providing for basic needs for people who need them," he told us. Also on this episode, guest co-host Rep. Zac Ista and I discuss the "brutal gauntlet" first-time candidates face as they enter the political arena and how many more of them will need to brave it as term limits for state lawmakers kick in. We also discuss Gov. Kelly Armstrong's decision to vote against the school meals constitutional amendment that will appear on the November ballot, despite backing similar statutory language during a special legislative session earlier this year, as well as the upcoming TedX event in Fargo next week. Plain Talk's schedule will be distrupted a bit next week. I'm speaking at the TedX event, but we'll also be recording an episode of the show from the venue in Fargo. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  3. 4d ago ·  Video

    723: The young people want to rent, not own (Video)

    Housing issues may be among the most complicated and important issues policymakers face. In order for local economies to grow, they need workers, and those workers need places to live. And they can't just be any old place. They need to be places they can afford to live, and want to live. But that's not easy. A home or apartment building built today might stand for a century or more, but the housing expectations of the public shift from generation to generation. That's one point Adrian Cummings, president of the Grand Forks-based Forx Builders Assocation, made on this episode of Plain Talk. He pointed out that, while North Dakota isn't yet a state where most people rent, rather than own, their homes, we're moving in that direction, particularly among younger generations. Where older generations prioritized the traditional "white picket fence" dream of owning a single-family home, both as a place to live and a way to secure an asset that can provide financial security for later in their lives, younger generations invest for their future differently, and are trending toward eschewing the burdens of homeownership in favor of renting. "I think that, for a long time, your home was your investment policy, and it was your retirement policy, for particularly people even older than my parents," he said. "I think that there are other investment opportunities available to young professionals where they don't feel as large of a rush to get into a home as a retirement asset because they have other options." Cummings talked about the workforce and economic challenges builders are facing, and the struggle to build affordable -- he prefers the term "attainable" -- housing, and how he feels the state can help. He thinks a Bank of North Dakota program that facilitates the financing of development would go a long way to help, since one of the biggest friction points to development now is how cost-intensive it is. Also on this episode, guest co-host Rep. Zac Ista and I discuss President Donald Trump's renewed hostilities toward Canada and their potential impacts on North Dakota, and we respond to listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  4. 4d ago

    723: The young people want to rent, not own

    Housing issues may be among the most complicated and important issues policymakers face. In order for local economies to grow, they need workers, and those workers need places to live. And they can't just be any old place. They need to be places they can afford to live, and want to live. But that's not easy. A home or apartment building built today might stand for a century or more, but the housing expectations of the public shift from generation to generation. That's one point Adrian Cummings, president of the Grand Forks-based Forx Builders Assocation, made on this episode of Plain Talk. He pointed out that, while North Dakota isn't yet a state where most people rent, rather than own, their homes, we're moving in that direction, particularly among younger generations. Where older generations prioritized the traditional "white picket fence" dream of owning a single-family home, both as a place to live and a way to secure an asset that can provide financial security for later in their lives, younger generations invest for their future differently, and are trending toward eschewing the burdens of homeownership in favor of renting. "I think that, for a long time, your home was your investment policy, and it was your retirement policy, for particularly people even older than my parents," he said. "I think that there are other investment opportunities available to young professionals where they don't feel as large of a rush to get into a home as a retirement asset because they have other options." Cummings talked about the workforce and economic challenges builders are facing, and the struggle to build affordable -- he prefers the term "attainable" -- housing, and how he feels the state can help. He thinks a Bank of North Dakota program that facilitates the financing of development would go a long way to help, since one of the biggest friction points to development now is how cost-intensive it is. Also on this episode, guest co-host Rep. Zac Ista and I discuss President Donald Trump's renewed hostilities toward Canada and their potential impacts on North Dakota, and we respond to listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  5. Jul 17 ·  Video

    722: 'I have no idea where he got his numbers' (Video)

    Some time before the November general election, Fargo voters will have a special election concerning a proposal to city government from an at-large commission, where each member of the commission (except for the mayor) is elected by the whole city, to a ward system, where the city is split into jurisdictions each with a specific representative. "It would establish six wards and one person elected from each ward," former city commissioner Arlette Preston, an organizer behind this issue, said on this episode of Plain Talk. "The candidate would have to live inside the ward and be elected by people in the ward. So, it would also change from a commission form of government to a council form, which that will remove the commissioners as they are currently assigned certain portfolios and daily interactions with certain departments. It would remove them from that and allow for the city administrator to actually have direct oversight." Former Mayor Tim Mahoney has opposed this proposal, and one of his complaints is the cost. He's said it could cost the taxpayers as much as $500,000 to make the switch, but Preston dismissed that claim. "I have no idea where he got his numbers and he never really specified where they came from," she said. "There would be two additional people on the council versus what is currently the commission. So there'd be a total of seven people including the mayor versus now it's five. So those two additional people would add probably around 80,000 total in salary and benefits for two of them. That would be an annual cost." She also pushed back on Mahoney's claim that the proposal would lead to a weak mayor. She said that state law actually defines a system like this as promoting a strong mayor, because while the mayor would only participate in council votes as a tie breaker, he or she would have veto power. Also, with the mayor's job already having moved to a full-time position, whoever is elected to that position will be more involved in day-to-day administration. Preston says the change toward wards would make Fargo's leaders more accountable. "What this allows is to make sure that somebody does advocate for you," she explained. "Right now, when communications come into the commission, it goes to all five people." Living in a district that has a specific member of the city council to represent your area means they should be more responsive. "It really, I think, establishes a stronger sense of accountability to the constituents," Preston told us. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the fundraising failure for the proposed military museum at the state capitol in Bismarck, the decline in Canadian tourism, youth sports and extreme heat, the outcome of the Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce's recent civics bee, and fatherhood. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  6. Jul 17

    722: 'I have no idea where he got his numbers'

    Some time before the November general election, Fargo voters will have a special election concerning a proposal to city government from an at-large commission, where each member of the commission (except for the mayor) is elected by the whole city, to a ward system, where the city is split into jurisdictions each with a specific representative. "It would establish six wards and one person elected from each ward," former city commissioner Arlette Preston, an organizer behind this issue, said on this episode of Plain Talk. "The candidate would have to live inside the ward and be elected by people in the ward. So, it would also change from a commission form of government to a council form, which that will remove the commissioners as they are currently assigned certain portfolios and daily interactions with certain departments. It would remove them from that and allow for the city administrator to actually have direct oversight." Former Mayor Tim Mahoney has opposed this proposal, and one of his complaints is the cost. He's said it could cost the taxpayers as much as $500,000 to make the switch, but Preston dismissed that claim. "I have no idea where he got his numbers and he never really specified where they came from," she said. "There would be two additional people on the council versus what is currently the commission. So there'd be a total of seven people including the mayor versus now it's five. So those two additional people would add probably around 80,000 total in salary and benefits for two of them. That would be an annual cost." She also pushed back on Mahoney's claim that the proposal would lead to a weak mayor. She said that state law actually defines a system like this as promoting a strong mayor, because while the mayor would only participate in council votes as a tie breaker, he or she would have veto power. Also, with the mayor's job already having moved to a full-time position, whoever is elected to that position will be more involved in day-to-day administration. Preston says the change toward wards would make Fargo's leaders more accountable. "What this allows is to make sure that somebody does advocate for you," she explained. "Right now, when communications come into the commission, it goes to all five people." Living in a district that has a specific member of the city council to represent your area means they should be more responsive. "It really, I think, establishes a stronger sense of accountability to the constituents," Preston told us. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the fundraising failure for the proposed military museum at the state capitol in Bismarck, the decline in Canadian tourism, youth sports and extreme heat, the outcome of the Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce's recent civics bee, and fatherhood. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  7. Jul 15 ·  Video

    721: 'This NIMBY idea, it's scary to think about' (Video)

    Is North Dakota still open for business? That's a question we asked during an interview with Brooks Burgum, co-founder and CEO of Longwater, a private equity and alternative asset management firm. What prompts that question is what seems to be a growing, anti-development attitude among some political factionsin North Dakota. The state once marketed itself as an easy place to do business, but increasingly building things like transmission lines, pipelines, and data centers has become a fraught business. "Where would we be if no one built a railroad?" Burgum, who is the former governor's cousin, asked us. "We want to grow this country, we want to grow this state," he continued. "We've got to have pipelines. We've got to have railroads. We've got to have interstate highways. This concept of not on my land, not in my backyard, this NIMBY idea, yeah, it's scary to think about." But Burgum thinks the backlash against data centers may be less about the centers themselves than the economic and cultural change they represent. "If you think about all the fears we all have around AI, and it can be scary, and it's real, and there's so many things happening, the only physical manifestation of that, that people lash out at, is a physical data center, he said. "Like, 'I'm scared of AI. I don't know what's going to happen to my job, to my life, all sorts of different things.' There's one physical thing that has the shape and form of AI and it's a data center." Burgum also spoke about North Dakota's efforts to steer public dollars toward in-state investments, arguing for an expansive view of those efforts that includes, not just investing in companies in North Dakota, but creating opportunities for North Dakota-based investment managers. Also on this episode, me and co-host Chad Oban discuss the need for "proof of life" laws for politicians, the timing of Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee's resignation from the Legislature, and we responded to listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

  8. Jul 15

    721: 'This NIMBY idea, it's scary to think about'

    Is North Dakota still open for business? That's a question we asked during an interview with Brooks Burgum, co-founder and CEO of Longwater, a private equity and alternative asset management firm. What prompts that question is what seems to be a growing, anti-development attitude among some political factionsin North Dakota. The state once marketed itself as an easy place to do business, but increasingly building things like transmission lines, pipelines, and data centers has become a fraught business. "Where would we be if no one built a railroad?" Burgum, who is the former governor's cousin, asked. "We want to grow this country, we want to grow this state," he continued. "We've got to have pipelines. We've got to have railroads. We've got to have interstate highways. This concept of not on my land, not in my backyard, this NIMBY idea, yeah, it's scary to think about." But Burgum thinks the backlash against data centers may be less about the centers themselves than the economic and cultural change they represent. "If you think about all the fears we all have around AI, and it can be scary, and it's real, and there's so many things happening, the only physical manifestation of that, that people lash out at, is a physical data center, he said. "Like, 'I'm scared of AI. I don't know what's going to happen to my job, to my life, all sorts of different things.' There's one physical thing that has the shape and form of AI and it's a data center." Burgum also spoke about North Dakota's efforts to steer public dollars toward in-state investments, arguing for an expansive view of those efforts that includes, not just investing in companies in North Dakota, but creating opportunities for North Dakota-based investment managers. Also on this episode, me and co-host Chad Oban discuss the need for "proof of life" laws for politicians, the timing of Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee's resignation from the Legislature, and we responded to listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

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3.8
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About

Plain Talk is a podcast hosted by Rob Port and Chad Oban focusing on political news and current events in North Dakota. Port is a columnist for the Forum News Service published in papers including the Fargo Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Jamestown Sun, and the Dickinson Press. Oban is a long-time political consultant.

Information

  • Channel
    Forum Communications Co.
  • Creator
    Forum Communications Co.
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    922
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2026 Forum Communications Co.
  • Show Website
    Plain Talk

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