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Is Sarasota a strong town? We'll find out soon, when Chuck Marohn visits Sarasota to discuss the research Strong Towns, his Minnesota nonprofit, has done on how devel- opment decisions impact cities' financial solvency. A civil engineer and city planner, Marohn will speak at the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations' annual dinner on March 18 and then host a free Q&A the following morning. The Sarasota News Leader couldn't resist the urge to pick Marohn's brain. The Sarasota News Leader: How did Strong Towns get started? Chuck Marohn: I worked for many years doing civil engineering and planning and started a blog in 2008, and on that blog over time I was talking about these things that came down to the Strong Towns principles. My friends encouraged me to start a non- profit. They said, "Just keep writing and we'll fill out the paperwork." THE STRONG TOWNS PRESIDENT VISITING SARASOTA SAYS TRADITIONAL SUBURBAN GROWTH FUNCTIONS LIKE A PONZI SCHEME Image from the Strong Towns website By Cooper Levey-Baker Associate Editor Q&A: CHUCK MAROHN