How to Really Run a City powered by Accelerator for America

Mayors Confronting ICE — and Ice

Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt convened podcast co-hosts former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter for a special episode about recent crises plaguing the leaders of prominent cities. "We are in a constitutional crisis," Platt said. "You have federal troops — masked law enforcement — doing these surges. The question is: Who's in charge?" "Folks should remember," Reed said, "almost always, the mayor controls the biggest police department. There is an incentive to make sure the people policing your communities are … people you control, by virtue of you being elected CEO of the city." Join us for a special edition of How To Really Run A City that examines the challenges of dealing with ICE ("To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis," — Minneapolis Mayor John Frey) as well as snow and ice ("[Mayor] Cherelle Parker better not fucking forget about us!" — viral Redditor from North Philly).  Mayors Reed and Nutter have weathered crises before, and they don't pull their punches on this episode. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. Watch and follow new episodes on YouTube. As cities go, so goes the nation!

The Mayor Dude with the Skater Attitude

On this episode, our hosts, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, invite onto the show a new friend from the Citizen's recent Ideas We Should Steal Festival.  Matthew Tuerk is a wicked skater. He's a punk-rocking tattoo connoisseur. He's a marathoner, and the popular second-term mayor of Allentown, PA who has made it his mission to bring back his city's manufacturing success.  "This guy is a fanatic about economic development," said Platt. "He's turned Allentown into Pennsylvania's third-fastest growing city." "We had this idea that you could still make stuff in cities," Tuerk replied. "Soot and smog-filled cities are not what the future of manufacturing looks like. Manufacturing needs people. It needs good, high-paying jobs. There are a lot of folks that came to Allentown looking to tap into the American Dream. Empowering people should be our motivation."  Then Platt prompted Tuerk to show off his unique Allentown flair. "I have the city seal tattooed on my chest," Tuerk declared, unfastening a few buttons on his shirt. "That's commitment," Nutter said with a laugh. Join us for an entertaining and informative episode about a city with its first Latino mayor "restoring a little bit of faith in the power of government to actually meet people's needs." Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. Watch and follow new episodes on YouTube. As cities go, so goes the nation!

"Spare Me Your Bullsh*t"

As mayor of Baltimore and then governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley used transparency and statistics to drive his city and state forward into the Information Age. And then he  — literally — wrote the book on the subject.  His conclusion after more than a decade in public office? "We live in a time of enormous opportunity," O'Malley said on the latest episode of How To Really Run A City to our hosts, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt. "It's the dawning of the Third Industrial Revolution. People want to believe that tomorrow can be better than today." O'Malley, a former Social Security Administration Commissioner and Irish clan chieftain, knows the stakes of the current political moment. Yes, you have to lead with joy. But to get people back from the brink of political despair, you've got to get shit done at the local level, because if we can't deliver the goods of a republic – the services that make a republic worth having — then we can't blame people for not following us. "Over the last 20 years," O'Malley said, "trust in the federal government has fallen to an all-time low. But trust in local government – in city government – has held steady." Join us for a no-nonsense episode with a no-nonsense leader who knows how to get shit done at multiple governing levels — and whose prescription for both his Democratic party and the country write large are lessons we should learn to preserve what matters about living in America. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. Watch and follow new episodes on YouTube. As cities go, so goes the nation!

Leading a City … With Jokes

This special episode was recorded live at The Philadelphia Citizen's eighth annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival presented by Comcast NBCUniversal. Our hosts, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Citizen Media Group President and CEO Larry Platt were joined on stage by a return guest, five-term Rochester Hills, Michigan Mayor Bryan Barnett, a Republican. Barnett is a consummate showman, as evidenced by his increasingly elaborate State of the City addresses (full-scale musical productions). Here, Barnett and the hosts discuss the importance of leading a city with joy and finesse, and how the Democratic party is fumbling the ball — in messaging and in the recent government shutdown. As Mayor Barnett points out, there really is no Republican or Democrat way to fill a pothole. You just fill the pothole. "The moment you put your foot on the sidewalk," Nutter responded, "people are looking to see how's the mayor doing? Is the city upbeat? Is it grumpy? There's a public impact to this job." Join us as we dive back into Rochester Hills with Mayor Barnett and explore how to really run a city with style and good humor. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. Watch and follow new episodes on YouTube. As cities go, so goes the nation!

A Job, A Hospital, A Park — All Within 15 Minutes

"I don't care if you live in urban America or rural America, everyone wants the same thing," Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said on the latest episode of How To Really Run A City. "They want a job they can get to in 15 minutes, they want a hospital or pharmacy within 15 minutes, they want a park or a grocery store or bars or restaurants, all within 15 minutes." Bibb went on to explain to our hosts, former Philly mayor Michael Nutter and former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, how he is turning his Ohio city into a convenient, accessible, bona fide 15-minute city — and what is needed to sustain that work. "People really want walkability," Bibb said. "They want safety and thriving neighborhoods and overall thriving cities. But we as mayors can't do this by ourselves. We need a federal government that's actually working. It has to be working with our governors and mayors." Bibb, a charismatic 38-year-old (and cousin to the first Black primetime newscaster in Ohio), will almost certainly be reelected next week, and both Reed and Nutter quickly picked up on his "get sh*t done" vibe. "A mayor is a reflection of their city," Reed said, "how it feels and how it will be there [for its people]."  "Absolutely," Nutter said. Join us for an episode about a mayor who is laser-focused on making the lives of his constituents better in ways that anyone taking a stroll to the park can feel. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. Watch and follow new episodes on YouTube. As cities go, so goes the nation!