Money Talks and Bullshit Walks: Philadelphia Politics from 1980 to the Present.

We continue our interview with Niles Schore, one of the brightest of lights of advocates fighting for Pennsylvania's dispossessed citizens. 

Niles Schore is a longtime staffer for several of Pennsylvania's state senators, former staff of the PA Department of Public Welfare under Mayor Ed Rendell. Starting out as an attorney for various public interest legal services agencies in the 1970s, Niles was 'go-to' attorney for human service advocates who needed statewide legislation or regulations. Truly one of the unsung heroes of Pennsylvani...

Season 2 continues with podsters Pete and Joe summarizing the rise of key political leaders in the early 1990s. From Rendell to Fattah, we even have a Nancy Pelosi story. This episode sets the stage to exploring the 1990s in all its glory. Join us. 

Hal Rosner is a licensed arborist and activist in the front lines of greening Philadelphia. He is co-host of the Philly-centric 'Plant a Trillion Trees' podcast; yes, we encourage you to listen at any of your favorite podcast sites. Podsters Pete and Joe discuss with Hal who is leading the effort to plant and preserve the city's tree canopy and why that is important for everyone.   

Politics in the real. Podsters Pete and Joe talk to friend, Tuesday night basketball organizer and labor leader Lou Agre about Irish Whiskey, the 1990s City Council members, the Philly shipyard, Robert Moses, John Street, labor history, the future of Ward politics, and much more. A hellava discussion. Join us. 

Pete and Joe talk to former Philadelphia Director of the Office of Housing and Community Development John Kromer about how some candidates outmaneuver the party machinery and win office. Kromer's book covers the campaigns of Ed Rendell for District Attorney, Chaka Fattah for Congress, Maria Quinones-Sanchez for City Council, and Rebecca Rhynhart for City Controller, four upsets over the party stru...

Angus Love worked more than 30 years for justice reform. He shares a lot of stories of Pennsylvania's and Philadelphia's struggles with managing its prison population and reforming bad practices. 

Season 2 of MTBW starts off with a little known history lesson and profiles in courage. In the early 90s, Philly was $3.25 billion in debt and Wall Street would not loan money. Bankruptcy was imminent. The federal government was not in the mood to bail out cities.  We start Season 2 with a background story, and origin story, so to speak. Episode 1 covers the birth of the Pennsylvania Intergov...

Podster Pete Berson interviews retired Judge Mark Bernstein to learn about the in's and out's of becoming a judge in Philadelphia.  Retired from Common Pleas Court, Judge Bernstein shares an amazing number of stories on what it takes. And these stories are amazing - you won't find these in the newspapers. Join us for MTBW's 20th episode of Season 1. 

Who was busier than a one-leg guy in an ass kicking contest? Name the 76'ers first found picks during the 80s! Why was traffic court an issue? Remember those Phillies at the end of the 80s? Who yelped for Welp?  This episode finishes our summation of the 80s in Philly. We cover a huge variety of issues, from sports to politics to movies and more.  This episode gets us closer to ending Se...

Here is an insiders view of history of Philadelphia before the resurrection that began in the 1990s. Michael Masch was one of the first ever City Council Technical staff in the 1980s. He moved on to become the Budget Director for Mayor and then Governor Ed Rendell, with stints as CFO at Penn and at the School District of Philadelphia.  He was in the room where it happens, as the song from Ham...

From '84 to '86. We cover Septa to Reggie White and the glory years of Buddy Ryan's Eagles, 76'ers lose to the Celtics in '85, Phils and Flyers and some Wilson Goode politics and more. 

This is second part of a series of short vignettes of stuff from Philadelphia's 1980s. This segment features blather and banter on a wide range of topics, sports, movies made in Philly, some politics and sights and sounds of the city. 

MTBW'ers Pete Berson and Joe Willard are joined by journalist Mike Freeman to summarize the 1980s politics and sports in Philadelphia as they wrap up the 80s before plunging into the 1990s. Sports championships and failures, mobsters and roofers, political scandal, we cover most it as we breeze through the 80s. This will be a special 3-part series -- it took us 29 minutes to get from  1980 to...

Episode 13 marks the end of Season 1. We drop Curt Flood, Jimmy Tayoun, Rev. Bill Gray, some mob stuff, some Fog Bowl stuff, and announce our guests for Season 2. Check it out.  

Journalist Lynette Hazelton joins our podsters to discuss her article in the Philadelphia Magazine "For 40 Years, Philly Mayors Have Promised to End Poverty. For 40 Years, I’ve Watched Them Fail," published September 2, 2020.  Ms. Hazelton interviewed Mayors Goode, Street, Rendell and Nutter to learn how their views on how poverty affected their Administrations. The conversation with the pods...

Podcasters Peter Berson and Joe Willard record this episode from the New Ridge Brewery (not a sponsor, but we like the beer) and from Zoom, featuring local labor leader and ward leader, Lou Agre. Pete and Lou have known each other for some 50 years and are quite frank in the role of unions in Philly politics. Lou also managed a pickup basketball game for 25+ years, which you will hear about. ...

1987 was a hellava year. 

The prequel to the 1987 Mayoral Election, we discuss key issues: from the Flyers to the Liberty Place Fiasco, back to the Mob, a story of Ed Bacon, and a postscript of Earnie Edwards. Join podcasters Peter Berson, Mike Freeman, and Joe Willard explore Philly politics from 1980 to the present. This episode sets the stage for the next podcast that will discuss the unique Mayoral election in Phi...

Join podcasters Pete Berson and Joe Willard for another exciting (because we say it is) episode. We feature the gruesome details of Gary Heidnik and the sinking homes of the Logan neighborhood. 

Remember the housing developer of the house built post MOVE disaster? City Council's Boom Boom Sisters? 1986 was a mess of a year in Philadelphia. Podsters Pete and Joe are joined by guest Mike Freeman, former city editor of the Daily News.  

a review of the City's political issues and leadership of 1981. Broken campaign promises, broken schools, deficits, soaring poverty, and other cheery notes. Finishes with movies and TV shows made in Philly and the status of our sports teams. We got it all. 

MTBW's Peter Berson discusses some environmental issues with Hal Rosner, acclaimed arborist and horticulturist. Included are the beginnings of Philly's greening projects and community gardening, PA Horticultural Society leading communities to add trees, window boxes, clean up vacant lots, and more.  

Philadelphia politics from 1980 to the present. The good(e), the bad, the corrupt, the inane, its all here. Wretching poverty, gentrification, bombing citizens, failing schools, the Mafia, a sports-manic population, the worst civic body on the planet, who would want to be the Mayor of the City and more? If anything, its entertaining. Podcasters Peter Berson and Joe Willard go down memory lane to r...

Abscam. MOVE. Unions Annoying Mayors and more. MTBW podcasters Peter Berson and Joe Willard talk with former Daily News City Editor Mike Freeman. Mike reminisce are early and mid 1980s key stories.