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Pothole Confidential: My Life as Mayor of Minneapolis
A pajama party at the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport inadvertently helped launch R.T. Rybak’s political career (imagine a rumba line one hundred protesters long chanting, “We deserve to sleep, hey!”), but his earliest lessons in leadership occurred during his childhood. Growing up in a middle-class neighborhood, attending private school with students who had much more than he did, spending evenings at his family’s store in an area where people lived with much less, he witnessed firsthand the opportunity and injustice of the city he called home.
In a memoir that is at once a political coming-of-age story and a behind-the-scenes look at the running of a great city, the three-term mayor takes readers into the highs and lows and the daily drama of a life inextricably linked with Minneapolis over the past fifty years. With refreshing candor and insight, Rybak describes his path through journalism, marketing, and community activism that led to his unlikely (to him, at least) primary election—on September 11, 2001. His personal account of the challenges and crises confronting the city over twelve years, including the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge, the rising scourge of youth violence, and the bruising fight over a ban on gay marriage (with Rybak himself conducting the first such ceremony at City Hall on August 1, 2013), is also an illuminating, often funny depiction of learning the workings of the job, frequently on the fly, while trying to keep up with his most important constituency, his family.
As bracing as the “fresh air” campaign that swept him into office, Rybak’s memoir is that rare document from a one more concerned with the people he served and the issues of his time than with burnishing his own credentials. As such, it reflects what leadership truly looks like.
In a memoir that is at once a political coming-of-age story and a behind-the-scenes look at the running of a great city, the three-term mayor takes readers into the highs and lows and the daily drama of a life inextricably linked with Minneapolis over the past fifty years. With refreshing candor and insight, Rybak describes his path through journalism, marketing, and community activism that led to his unlikely (to him, at least) primary election—on September 11, 2001. His personal account of the challenges and crises confronting the city over twelve years, including the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge, the rising scourge of youth violence, and the bruising fight over a ban on gay marriage (with Rybak himself conducting the first such ceremony at City Hall on August 1, 2013), is also an illuminating, often funny depiction of learning the workings of the job, frequently on the fly, while trying to keep up with his most important constituency, his family.
As bracing as the “fresh air” campaign that swept him into office, Rybak’s memoir is that rare document from a one more concerned with the people he served and the issues of his time than with burnishing his own credentials. As such, it reflects what leadership truly looks like.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 22, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 2, 2017
Fantastic. What a great insight into a charismatic, out of the box political player with a real heart for this city.
Reading it during Trump's first week was surreal.
Reading it during Trump's first week was surreal.
July 2, 2017
Pothole Confidential, by former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak, is an excellent political memoir. Rybak starts the book with his early life in Minneapolis, and says how even at a young age, he knew he wanted to be mayor of the city one day. It was interesting to see the path he took to get there, and the at-times-contentious election that took place before he won his first term. Best of all, I loved reading about all the change Rybak has helped enact during his time in office, and it was touching to see just how invested he got in the lives of the people he served—on the hard end of things, showing up at crime scenes to speak with victims and their families, or at the scene of disasters such as the 35W bridge collapse or the North Minneapolis tornado, and on the happier end, promising to perform same-sex marriages at City Hall (and following up on that promise) as soon as the law went into effect in the state.
The political process from the inside is fascinating, and it's true what Rybak wrote in his afterword, when he says, ". . . I tried to write this thinking I wasn't a former mayor writing a book, I was a journalist embedded at City Hall." And his experience as a journalist shows in the writing: it's easy to digest, very relateable, and it's clear he holds no punches—for himself or anyone else. In other words, it might be the most honest and emotional political memoir you ever read. Maybe it's the Minnesotan-ness coming through, or simply because Rybak didn't start out as a politician, but as a person with a passion for his city, and the people who call it home.
As a final note, I learned some interesting tidbits. 1) Rybak is the reason we have the Minneapolis Loppet, the second-largest cross-country ski race in the U.S. 2) The Minneapolis-St. Paul divide actually goes much deeper than I thought it did. 3) I am probably not cut out for politics. It's very messy. 4) We have the Midtown Global Market in large part because of Rybak's vision and some local entrepreneurs. 5) The reason we have ride-share bikes in the Cities is also in large part due to Rybak (and Portland resents that at some point, Minneapolis won "best bike city in America"). 6) Now I understand why Rybak has his own star at First Ave.
The political process from the inside is fascinating, and it's true what Rybak wrote in his afterword, when he says, ". . . I tried to write this thinking I wasn't a former mayor writing a book, I was a journalist embedded at City Hall." And his experience as a journalist shows in the writing: it's easy to digest, very relateable, and it's clear he holds no punches—for himself or anyone else. In other words, it might be the most honest and emotional political memoir you ever read. Maybe it's the Minnesotan-ness coming through, or simply because Rybak didn't start out as a politician, but as a person with a passion for his city, and the people who call it home.
As a final note, I learned some interesting tidbits. 1) Rybak is the reason we have the Minneapolis Loppet, the second-largest cross-country ski race in the U.S. 2) The Minneapolis-St. Paul divide actually goes much deeper than I thought it did. 3) I am probably not cut out for politics. It's very messy. 4) We have the Midtown Global Market in large part because of Rybak's vision and some local entrepreneurs. 5) The reason we have ride-share bikes in the Cities is also in large part due to Rybak (and Portland resents that at some point, Minneapolis won "best bike city in America"). 6) Now I understand why Rybak has his own star at First Ave.
December 31, 2018
I am currently studying public administration. A big part of my interest in this area is my father's 30+ year career in Minneapolis. So this memoir obviously became very personal for me. Despite the importance of Minneapolis in my life, I have only lived within the city limits for a span of 8 months. Therefore I loved this inside look at many of the issues that I was aware of, but not particularly informed about. Mayor Rybak also provides wonderful advice to those pursuing a career in local government along two different veins: pursuing a passion for serving your hometown, and a look at the important details required to accomplish various tasks. In this regard, my favorite parts of the book were when he described interactions with George W. Bush and Jesse Ventura, because they were so very different from him, but he tells about gaining a respect for each through cooperation. But my favorite part was the very beginning, when he talks about bouncing a tennis ball against the wall, imagining himself winning the 1964 World Series for the Twins, but then dreaming about becoming mayor. I too bounced a ball against a wall and won uncounted World Series games for the Twins, and now I also find myself pursuing local government, albeit a different path than Mayor Rybak. Nonetheless, he mentions working with young people as the most energizing part of his career. I'm not sure I can still call myself young, but add me to the list of people Mayor Rybak has inspired.
July 5, 2025
A wildly entertaining story telling of the greatest city on earth
September 30, 2025
Like a lot of other mayors with memoirs, R.T. Rybak always wanted to be a mayor. It's a particular breed: usually people who love their hometown and like attention but who also want to "give back." Rybak studied to be a city planner, started out his career as a reporter (the crime beat, which he didn't want), became a rep for the downtown, and worked as a tech entrepreneur, but the one job he always wanted was mayor.
Like other mayors too, he didn't come into office with some grand vision or great disagreement with the existing administration. He said he liked Mayor Sayles Belton, the first African-American and woman mayor, but he just thought the city needed fresh representation. Beyond his actual career, he had worked with neighborhood groups on environmental issues and airplane noise, and he wanted to bring a more environmental focus into the office. But he really just wanted to build and shape the city, especially by encouraging more of the transit already in the works.
As mayor, unfortunately, just like on his reporter job, he ended up spending much more time dealing with crime than he thought. From this book it also apears he mainly did two things 1. showing up at events, a necessary duty for every mayor, and 2. campaign, for himself and others. On the second, he admits campaigning for Obama in 2008 was almost like a whole other job. Since he was obsessed with building, the work he was most excited about involved stadiums, reconfiguring a spot for the new Twins stadium so the bleachers were over the highways, creating a complicated deal whereby the Vikings got a new stadium, Wells Fargo got a new office, the convention center got sales tax funding and updates, and the Target Center for the Timberwolves got a new parking ramp.
The problem is that this book deals far too often with vague generalities and interimanble lists of people he worked with. Stories emerge and then submerge without conclusions. One gets the impression from this book of a garrulous and well-meaning man who, if not exceptionally bright or focused, did try to improve his city. Whether much of what he did (building two new light rail lines, lots of bike paths, subsidizing sports teams) actually improved it is another question.
Like other mayors too, he didn't come into office with some grand vision or great disagreement with the existing administration. He said he liked Mayor Sayles Belton, the first African-American and woman mayor, but he just thought the city needed fresh representation. Beyond his actual career, he had worked with neighborhood groups on environmental issues and airplane noise, and he wanted to bring a more environmental focus into the office. But he really just wanted to build and shape the city, especially by encouraging more of the transit already in the works.
As mayor, unfortunately, just like on his reporter job, he ended up spending much more time dealing with crime than he thought. From this book it also apears he mainly did two things 1. showing up at events, a necessary duty for every mayor, and 2. campaign, for himself and others. On the second, he admits campaigning for Obama in 2008 was almost like a whole other job. Since he was obsessed with building, the work he was most excited about involved stadiums, reconfiguring a spot for the new Twins stadium so the bleachers were over the highways, creating a complicated deal whereby the Vikings got a new stadium, Wells Fargo got a new office, the convention center got sales tax funding and updates, and the Target Center for the Timberwolves got a new parking ramp.
The problem is that this book deals far too often with vague generalities and interimanble lists of people he worked with. Stories emerge and then submerge without conclusions. One gets the impression from this book of a garrulous and well-meaning man who, if not exceptionally bright or focused, did try to improve his city. Whether much of what he did (building two new light rail lines, lots of bike paths, subsidizing sports teams) actually improved it is another question.
February 6, 2022
Published 2016–RT Rybak grew up in Minneapolis and from a young age dreamed of one day becoming the city’s major. He succeeded and served as the mayor for 12 challenging years.
Rybak’s lively, candid memoir first describes his experiences leading up to and occupying the office. His activism, work as a journalist and experience as a downtown business consultant, while not directly involving city government, built skills that he would use as the leader of the city.
Rybak describes early mistakes he made as a rookie mayor. He also walks us through some of the large challenges he dealt with including homicides, a youth crime wave, holding on to the Vikings stadium despite a campaign to move it to Arden Hills, addressing the significant learning gap between white K-12 students and students of color, streamlining the city’s cumbersome development process and more.
Rybak’s enthusiasm for the city and for public service come through. We learn about how complex political/business deals were hobbled together. We read about the involvement of local players such as “Harv” and “Marv,” then owners of the Timberwolves, and longtime DFL activists Sid and Sylvia Kaplan. At times I felt I was getting too much detail about certain events but it was easy to move ahead at such times.
This engaging book is highly recommended for someone interested in Minneapolis political history, learning about the nuts and bolts of campaigning for local office, or a first hand account of mayorship in the early 21st Century.
Rybak’s lively, candid memoir first describes his experiences leading up to and occupying the office. His activism, work as a journalist and experience as a downtown business consultant, while not directly involving city government, built skills that he would use as the leader of the city.
Rybak describes early mistakes he made as a rookie mayor. He also walks us through some of the large challenges he dealt with including homicides, a youth crime wave, holding on to the Vikings stadium despite a campaign to move it to Arden Hills, addressing the significant learning gap between white K-12 students and students of color, streamlining the city’s cumbersome development process and more.
Rybak’s enthusiasm for the city and for public service come through. We learn about how complex political/business deals were hobbled together. We read about the involvement of local players such as “Harv” and “Marv,” then owners of the Timberwolves, and longtime DFL activists Sid and Sylvia Kaplan. At times I felt I was getting too much detail about certain events but it was easy to move ahead at such times.
This engaging book is highly recommended for someone interested in Minneapolis political history, learning about the nuts and bolts of campaigning for local office, or a first hand account of mayorship in the early 21st Century.
October 4, 2017
While I haven't lived in Minneapolis for almost 25 years now, I still live in Minnesota and read the STAR TRIBUNE every Sunday and listen to MPR daily, so I knew of R.T. Rybak and his work as mayor of Minneapolis. When I was in graduate school at the U of MN, I was once a research assistant doing research on Mississippi riverfront development and a lot of my bibliography consisted of articles by R.T. Rybak. When he was elected mayor, I remembered him from his time as a StarTribune reporter. This book is very easy to read with his strong journalism background, but mainly because he has an exuberance for life and his wanting to tell a good honest and open story of his years as mayor. You find out when he failed, what brought him down the most, but also what he loved about the work. I enjoyed reading it a lot.
October 5, 2017
While I enjoyed what I read, I couldn't get into the book enough to finish it in the 3 weeks I had it from the library. One thing I did like is how he talked about bringing business practices into government and when they were successful/not. I think oftentimes citizens watch government work from the outside and we see a lot of inefficiencies so it was interesting to read about some process improvement.
I think it's time to try out a new genre for a while since this is at least the 3rd book in a row I haven't finished.
I think it's time to try out a new genre for a while since this is at least the 3rd book in a row I haven't finished.
September 19, 2021
A good read and interesting take on the political memoir oeuvre. A compelling companion to a mayoral election (and ballot question about mayoral powers) coming up this November - what authority should a mayor have, what can they control, what limitations buck up against our ideals for what they should be able to accomplish? What beats through is a really genuine love for and dedication to Minneapolis. Rybak strikes me as a truly decent man, who tried to use all of his gifts and talents to make life better for Minneapolitans as mayor.
December 20, 2016
A lovely look into city hall, in one of the most tumultuous and productive periods of Minneapolis's history. Pothole Confidential is both personal and political; an intimate story of a public figure and a primer for how city government can work.
I recommend it to any one living in the Twin Cities area!
I recommend it to any one living in the Twin Cities area!
June 29, 2017
R.T. is a great writer, so this was easy reading. Anyone interested in the current mayoral race ought to read this first, just to be an educated voter about who should be our next mayor.
January 5, 2017
I wish we had more RTs.
August 6, 2016
i really should have bumped this up in my reading queue a lot sooner. As an unabashed fan of minneapolis there's a lot to love in the book. for folks that remember the stage diving antics and the better parts of the RT twitter feed, this provides an interesting complement to your personal recollection of what was going on during the events he covers.
this is not a warm, fuzzy memoir replete with sculpted vignettes of a politician's brilliance. this is a remarkably candid perspective on things that went well, things that really didn't and a surprisingly frank level of introspection from a mayor who waded through some tough times. we're still grappling with the SWLRT, the US Bank stadium just opened, the bike scene's better than ever and north minneapolis still, unfortunately, grapples with violence and poverty. if you're a citizen of minneapolis you owe it to yourself to give this a read and get a flavor of what was going on behind the scenes at city hall.
pour yourself one of those local brews that we love so much, kick back and read this and ponder why there are so many motivational quotes in mayor hodges twitter feed. what else are you going to do, move to st. paul? right.
this is not a warm, fuzzy memoir replete with sculpted vignettes of a politician's brilliance. this is a remarkably candid perspective on things that went well, things that really didn't and a surprisingly frank level of introspection from a mayor who waded through some tough times. we're still grappling with the SWLRT, the US Bank stadium just opened, the bike scene's better than ever and north minneapolis still, unfortunately, grapples with violence and poverty. if you're a citizen of minneapolis you owe it to yourself to give this a read and get a flavor of what was going on behind the scenes at city hall.
pour yourself one of those local brews that we love so much, kick back and read this and ponder why there are so many motivational quotes in mayor hodges twitter feed. what else are you going to do, move to st. paul? right.
May 1, 2016
Amazing book. Totally engaging. Well written.
RT is unique in his passion for leading his beloved city of Minneapolis for twelve years as Mayor. Through Rybak's eyes you learn how his heart and brain work, how the adrenaline of politics courses through his veins, and how devoted he is to both his city and his family.
In general, it's fascinating to get a glimpse into the world of an American Mayor and know that many of the challenges he describes are happening all over the USA.
I cannot recommend this book enough. You will laugh out loud countless times. You will be touched by the sadness and grief wrought by crime, aging infrastructure, difficult budgets and Mother Nature.
RT is unique in his passion for leading his beloved city of Minneapolis for twelve years as Mayor. Through Rybak's eyes you learn how his heart and brain work, how the adrenaline of politics courses through his veins, and how devoted he is to both his city and his family.
In general, it's fascinating to get a glimpse into the world of an American Mayor and know that many of the challenges he describes are happening all over the USA.
I cannot recommend this book enough. You will laugh out loud countless times. You will be touched by the sadness and grief wrought by crime, aging infrastructure, difficult budgets and Mother Nature.
February 3, 2017
I hardly knew anything about R.T. Rybak before reading this book. I found this book in the browsing section of my local library, and thought I'd give it a try. I felt like the title of the book suggested that it would be an honest look at the life of the mayor of Minneapolis (I figured most mayors would not want to mention potholes in the title of their book). I was really amazed by this book; it let me understand a politician that I knew little about but turned out to really admire. I loved reading about the true passion he had for his work and how much he really cares about his community. It was refreshing and inspiring.
February 2, 2017
I dipped in and out of this one for a while, having mixed feelings about politics during the 2016 race. After 45's inauguration, I started reading it more avidly. Rybak is so sincere and hardworking. He gives insights into both my hometown and the political machine with personal stories that are genuinely heartfelt and interesting. This is what a good politician can look like.
April 1, 2017
This is not my typical read AT ALL - in fact, first ever bio of a politician. I found myself fascinated by local issues, taxation, transit, things that I never cared to understand before. It's funny, heartwarming, and a great look inside the inner workings. I admire his leadership, perspective and authenticity.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews