We have 5,000 jobs open—if you want a job and a change of scenery, come to Fargo.

Dr. Tim Mahoney, the mayor of Fargo, North Dakota—and yes, still a practicing surgeon—recently brought heart, humor, and high-functioning governance to the national stage on The Good Government Show podcast. In a spirited interview with host Dave Martin, Mayor Mahoney detailed the rapid growth of his city, the 5,000 job openings available right now, and how Fargo is managing its boom with surgical precision.

“Growth is great—but it comes with side effects,” Mahoney joked. “We’ve got the challenges of a big city, but the expectations of a small town. When things go wrong, people still expect the mayor to just ‘fix it.’” The longtime civic leader, who was recently honored by the North Dakota League of Cities with the Leadership Excellence Award, reflected on how his medical background helps him govern: “In surgery, you’ve got five minutes to convince someone you’re the right person to take out their gallbladder. In politics, the principles are similar—except now you’re convincing a city.”

One of Mahoney’s most pressing missions? Housing. With Fargo’s population soaring past 133,000 and climbing fast, the mayor estimates the city will need 17,000 new housing units in the next decade. “We’re going vertical,” he explained. “We’re putting 98 people on a single acre in six-story buildings, with parking built inside. It’s a whole new Fargo.” He also highlighted creative incentive programs, like Renaissance Zone tax breaks, that have transformed downtown from a “dead zone” to a $1 billion economic engine.

And if you still associate Fargo with snowdrifts and wood chippers? Mahoney’s fine with that—sort of. “The movie put us on the map,” he admitted, “but the real Fargo is friendlier, smarter, and far more interesting than any Hollywood version.” From Microsoft’s second-largest campus to cutting-edge autonomous farming tech, Mahoney said, “Fargo is the state’s brain trust. We’re doing things here people don’t expect.”

As mayor since 2014 (and commissioner since 2005), Mahoney shows no signs of slowing down. He’s shepherding a billion-dollar water infrastructure project and tackling homelessness with the same precision he once applied in the OR. “My philosophy?” he said. “If nobody stops me in the grocery store to complain, that means I’m probably doing something right.”