How to Really Run a City powered by Accelerator for America

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...

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'...

"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...

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 an...

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 by...

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 Sc...

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...

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 politic...

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 day...

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 be...

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...

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...

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 face...

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 act...

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 host...

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 o...

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....

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 Citize...

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 s...

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 know...

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...

In the latest installment of  How to  Really  Run a City , Kathryn Wylde, CEO of Partnership for New York, shares the secrets to – and power of –  harnessing cities' business communities.

On this episode, Tech expert/author Jennifer Pahlka and Little Rock, AR, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. , caution those in power that leadership is about more than having great ideas. Learn how to provide those who are tasked with executing policy with the right training, tools, or decision-making power to make it happen.   

Within the first six months of her term, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has faced the Hollywood writers' and actors' strike and the teachers' strike. She moved more than 14,000 unhoused Angelenos inside, relocating people from encampment tents into motels. She's also taken the helm of the city's Metro system,  and  she pledges to make the 2028 Olympics car-free.  How has she been so productive – and remain...

"You know about the handshake, right?" Mayor Michael Nutter says. "You gotta get up in that web. You gotta own the handshake." Mayor Kasim Reed agrees, saying that Nutter once also taught him an ancillary move: One hand on the shoulder while the other clasps the hand.  Get insider tips, like the anatomy of the mayoral handshake, from these former two-term mayors. They also compare notes on how to...