The AI revolution is upon us, and it will certainly have an impact on local governance. “Let’s have an open conversation about its use,” says this week’s podcast guest, Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative at Results for America. Haynes, who previously served as Chief of Staff at New York City’s Department of Homeless Services, saw firsthand what happens when policy and politics clash. “A lot of fears out there are about losing jobs,” she c...
Jun 26, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 41
While Washington implodes and other cities resist, Riverside, CA Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson is moving ahead with an ambitious tech agenda — and battling youth homelessness in her city. “I feel positive about the direction California is taking,” says Riverside, CA Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, our guest this week on How To Really Run A City. In the wake of reduced support from Washington, D.C., she optimistically declares, “We’ll find our way forward. We’ll keep fighting.” In this episode, former A...
Jun 05, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 40
“Traditional license plate readers were developed in the 1950s and 60s,” says this week’s guest, Garrett Langley of Flock Safety. “But you can go into Flock and say I’m looking for a black Sedan with after-market tires and a dent on the left corner, and we will find that car.” Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, along with Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, chat with Langley about his innovative and cost-saving approach to public safety, which made national headl...
May 15, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Donald Trump’s tariff policies pose an economic threat to Rochester Hills, Michigan — and Republican Mayor Bryan Barnett has not been shy about speaking out. “More robots are made in my city than in any other city in North America,” Barnett told Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, along with Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, in the latest episode of the podcast. “Our two biggest trading partners — and it’s not even close — are Canada and Mexico.” Barnett has held onto ...
May 01, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In this episode, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, along with Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, bring Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti onto the show. Cognetti is demonstrating how cities are blazing a way forward amidst the daily chaos spilling out of Washington, D.C. “This is where local matters,” Cognetti says. “At the local level, we’re nimble, we’re able to try things that are harder at the state level, and definitely at the national level.” “I think you’re m...
Apr 10, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In our latest episode, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, along with Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, invite an “elusive wizard” onto the show. Bruce Katz is the Founding Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University, and an architect of the National Housing Crisis Task Force at Accelerator For America. “Bruce has forgotten more about cities than I’ll ever know,” Larry tells our mayors before referencing the Trump Administration’s gutting of fed...
Mar 27, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Years of acrimony and conflict in our national politics has unfortunately trickled down to cities, where disdain for civil servants — and each other — has had a chilling effect on the work needed to get things done. So what can we do about it? Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter sat down with Diane Kalen-Sukra, a former city manager, current evangelist for political civility and author of Save Your City: How Toxic Culture Kills Community & What To Do About ...
Feb 27, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 35
On our latest episode, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter invite onto the show Tom Henkey, who served for six years as Chicago's Senior Emergency Management Coordinator. Henkey is currently the Director of Emergency Management for Titan Security Group, and adjunct faculty at DePaul University. In the wake of weather-related emergencies all across the countries, not the least of which being the horrific fires that have devastated L.A., Henkey is a timely and kn...
Feb 07, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 34
On the latest episode of our podcast with esteemed former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter, we are joined by two special guests. First, Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, President and CEO of Accelerator for America, the nation's preeminent city "do tank," and our dynamic new partner on this podcast. Second, Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas, known affectionately to Kansas Citians as "Mayor Q." Lucas rose from experiencing homelessness to running Kansas City and he cam...
Jan 16, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 33
On our closing episode of 2024, we thought listeners could use a good laugh. Larry Platt takes us through the year's funniest moments, from how former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed gets his gangsta lean on to former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter's "drugged up" call-in from his car. This year we had randy guests, mayors incognito and a dead tree in Wilmington, Delaware that just won't be removed. "It's all good! This is the podcast, this is what we do," Larry said, chuckling after guest Devin Cotten of ...
Dec 27, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Chicago’s late, legendary first African-American mayor, Harold Washington propelled his charisma and grassroots support to topple his city’s legendary machine and remake its government — a story brilliantly told in Punch 9 For Harold Washington, which The Citizen screened on the opening night of the Ideas We Should Steal Festival last month. What can Philadelphia today take away from Washington’s political courage in decades past? How to Really Run A City hosts former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed an...
Dec 05, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 31
"Well, guys,” Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt starts, “let’s have a little therapy session. What the hell just happened?” On this special episode of How To Really Run A City , former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter get together just days after the election to hash out how they’re feeling and what they think turned the tide to President-elect Donald Trump. Despite a “painful, painful map” and impending federal policies that target vulnerable communities, Reed and Nu...
Nov 15, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 30
On this episode of How To Really Run A City, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter speak with Delaware Governor John Carney. Carney is doing something that almost no other governor has done--turned his sights from the highest executive office in the state to the role of mayor (in this case, the mayoralty of Wilmington, DE). Reed and Nutter offer some sage advice and everyone on the show reminisces about what it really takes to get shit done in a city. There's a d...
Oct 31, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 29
On the latest episode of our podcast, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter chat with Devin Cotten, the Founder and CEO of The Universal Basic Employment and Opportunity Initiative in Cleveland, Ohio. Cotten is helping to extend universal basic employment to one hundred Clevelanders through a pilot that guarantees a living wage of $50,000 a year. This initiative bypasses the common criticism about universal basic income being just a financial handout. "I think th...
Oct 10, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 28
On this episode of our acclaimed podcast, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter sit down with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, one of the youngest mayors in the country. In March, a cargo ship lost power and smashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, thrusting Mayor Scott into the national spotlight amidst ugly insinuations that the tragedy was a result of Scott being a "D.E.I. mayor.” Find out how he creatively shut down the criticisms, as Mayor Scott take...
Sep 19, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 27
On this special episode of the podcast, former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter and former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed catch up with the Republican mayor whose speech supporting Kamala Harris ignited the Democratic National Convention. Why'd he do it? To honor the ideals and memory of Senator John McCain. "There is no longer loyalty to principles," Mayor John Giles of Mesa, AZ, told us. "It's all loyalty to Donald Trump. It's been heartbreaking for not just me, but millions and millions of Americans who...
Sep 05, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 26
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey never expected to find herself paired policy-wise with a world famous standup comedian. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when she and Chris Rock — an unlikely policy wonk — came up with the same solution for curbing gun violence in America: Making bullets prohibitively expensive. Elsewhere in this episode, our mayors mull over “ultimate retail politics,” and enlighten the audience on the vital role of a call time manager. “I’ve got no patience for p...
Aug 15, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this latest episode of the podcast, former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed talk to education reformer and former Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza on what students really need … now. Once upon a time, Democrats were the party trusted with directing education in America. But, as Democrats for Education Reform Executive Director Jorge Elorza says, that ended in the waning days of the Obama administration. Now? Democrats have lost the language, ideas, policy and vision aroun...
Jul 24, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 24
As hand wringing over the state of our democracy has become a national pastime, we here at How To Really Run A City decided to air a special edition of our podcast. We highlight moments from previous episodes which demonstrate that high-minded civic virtues like tolerance and pluralism and communitarianism don’t only belong to the past. From Mayor Libby Schaaf’s guide to public action – “Mayors belong to one party–the party of getting shit done,” to Mayor Nutter’s stirring recounting of the Athe...
Jul 11, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 23
In part two of our latest episode of How to Really Run a City podcast, former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and former Philly mayor Michael Nutter hear more rhetorical gems from bestselling author and public intellectual Michael Eric Dyson ... who has some, uh, soulful theories about how to win elections and govern cities. Listen, subscribe, spread the word! And visit The Philadelphia Citizen to find more solutions to city problems....
Jun 27, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 22
What is behind the surprising levels of Black support for (now felon) Donald J. Trump? According to bestselling author, public intellectual and “hip hop” professor Michael Eric Dyson, it's the result of a slew of misconceptions, as well as folks not understanding how government actually works in our lives. "It's an indictment of our side," Dyson said. On this episode, Dyson and our mayors have a few words of advice for President Biden on how to really beat Donald Trump. Check out the first of a ...
Jun 13, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Balancing free speech rights with public safety and order requires a deft touch. On our latest episode of "How to Really Run a City," Mayors Nutter and Reed are joined by one of their protégés: Richmond, Virginia Mayor Levar Stoney. From protests to economic growth to Mayor Stoney's history-making removal of Confederate monuments, we dig into the successes and challenges Richmond has recently faced. True leadership is a lonely venture, Nutter says. But Mayor Stoney is leading with joy, Reed remi...
May 16, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Fort Worth, Texas mayor Mattie Parker won her second term with a whopping 70 percent of the vote. On this episode, our hosts--former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and The Citizen's co-founder Larry Platt--talk with this superstar mayor about managing a city-wide boom while maintaining a small-town feel. Mayor Parker believes that what sets her apart is not actually needing this gig, which frees her up to pass commonsense policies. "If it costs me my job, grea...
Apr 12, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 19
On this episode, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and The Philadelphia Citizen co-founder Larry Platt bring on two esteemed guests for an in-depth conversation about one of the most important topics of our time: wealth inequality. After chatting about the recent State of the Union address, as well as the stakes for cities in the upcoming election, our hosts invite Della Clarke, CEO of Philadelphia’s Enterprise Center and JP Morgan Chase’s Michele Lawrenc...
Mar 28, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and The Philadelphia Citizen co-founder Larry Platt welcome Charles Blow, columnist for The New York Times and author of the 2021 book The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto and last year’s companion HBO documentary, South to Black Powe r. In a wide-ranging and impassioned conversation, Blow makes the case for a type of new Black Power movement by calling for a Black migration to the South (he moved to Atlanta, GA, f...
Mar 13, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 17
On the third and final installment of our conversation with legendary Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, our co-hosts hit him with the questions about policing we all have on our minds: What separates good technology from dangerous tech? What role can data play? And has the power of police unions gone too far? If you missed parts I and II of this timely conversation, be sure to check them out. Then, like, share, and subscribe, so that you don't miss a single episode!
Feb 08, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Legendary Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey -- who served in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, where he oversaw a 28 percent drop in homicides -- returns for a powerful conversation about public safety, and how keeping cities safe is a job that goes beyond fire and police departments. For more great solutions stories, subscribe to this podcast and check out The Philadelphia Citizen.
Jan 11, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 15
We heard from the best of 'em this year. From thought-provoking policy proposals to gut-busting anecdotes, check out host Larry Platt's hand-selected highlights in this special end-of-the-year edition. Then catch up on any episodes you might have missed to get more of former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philly Mayor Michael Nutter and the civic leaders that really shape our lives. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single episode in 2024.
Dec 27, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 14
When former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey joined us at our most recent Ideas We Should Steal Festival for a live taping of The Citizen’s How to Really Run a City podcast , the crowd expected Ramsey to address just how, under the leadership of then-Mayor Michael Nutter, he oversaw a record low crime rate. Ramsey, after all, has more than 50 years of law enforcement knowledge and service. He co-chaired President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing . He’s currently the ...
Dec 07, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Toyota, Motorola, FedEx — as different as their products may be, they share at least one secret ingredient: an investment in training their employees to become leaders, and to learn critical, creative problem-solving skills. Why, then, doesn’t the public sector invest as deeply in supporting the evolution and advancement of its workforce? This episode welcomes Brian Elms , the CEO and Founder of Change Agents Training , which focuses on creating employee-driven innovation programs around the cou...
Nov 09, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 12
