How to Really Run a City powered by Accelerator for America – Details, episodes & analysis

One of our favorite sayings here at How to Really Run a City is that there are really three political parties in the U.S.: Democrats, Republicans and Mayors — and only one of them have no choice but to be practical problem solvers. We believe if more politicians acted like mayors, there'd be much less bickering in D.C.

Turns out, Bloomberg Philanthropies agrees. For the past six years, the civic-minded global organization has held the  Mayors Challenge, a competition that awards cities $1 million prizes to spur innovative solutions to ingrained urban problems.

This week, Challenge leader Aparna Ramanan and Challenge grantee, Lafayette, LA Mayor Monique Blanco Boulet, join former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Citizen Co-Founder Larry Platt for an eye-opening conversation about what it takes to innovate in a city. (Lafayette's problem might sound familiarly stinky to Philadelphians: old, failing, sewers.)

Blanco Boulet believes true innovation must start with a change of mindset. "Critical thinking is just not natural in government. If I don't know where we're having flood issues, I could just choose anywhere [to put the money]. That happens. That's not abnormal for government in the absence of real decision-making."

Join us for an episode about cities tackling entrenched problems and the public-private partnerships like Bloomberg Philanthropies that support them. 

When it comes to facing these intractable issues, as Nutter said, "You have to deal with the consequences of not."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch new episodes on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

Michael Smerconish is a Sirius XM and CNN host, a prolific political commentator, a nationally recognized author — and leader of the fight for a political center in the U.S., which means having a robust media.

"I think the press is being hollowed out," said former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Local outlets are disappearing, the press is "functionally gutted; there's no longer a paper on your porch … and there's been a conservative effort to buy up local media because [it] still has credibility with folks."

Smerconish is also an activist for voters who refuse to align with either of the two major parties. "I became so disenchanted with the Bush administration (W.) for their inability to go kill bin Laden," he said. He then swam against the tide of his own listener base by announcing his support for Barack Obama's presidential run in 2008.

"How do you feel about that vote today?" asked former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

"Oh my god, I feel great about it," Smerconish said. "[My listeners] went crazy, but it was a breaking point and a wake-up call for me."

Join us for a thoroughly entertaining and important conversation about what local leaders and citizens alike can do to break through the partisanship of the moment and start meeting each other on neutral ground.

"Use the remote, mix it up," Smerconish said. "Don't rely on [others] to do it — do it yourself."

Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes and watch the video on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

When Denver, Colorado Mayor Mike Johnston isn't sparring with congressional Republicans over immigration (and being threatened with jail time), he's pushing his city to eliminate homelessness, continuing his crusade for high-quality, affordable education and inspiring Denverites to give five hours of volunteer service each month.

"I love the Give5 Mile High program," said Citizen co-founder Larry Platt. "It's kind of the answer to Trumpism, right? All of us coming together in common purpose?"

On this episode of How To Really Run A City, former Mayor Michael Nutter and former Mayor Kasim Reed, with Platt, join Mayor Johnston to dissect the initiatives that are making Denver a prosperous and communitarian city for all its citizens.

"What I try to do is bind people," Johnston says. "I bind together people that are broken. I bind together people who have been pulled apart from each other. I feel like this is the work mayors are called to do."

"And that's why we do this podcast," Reed says. "It is so important for people who care about this country to hear stories like yours."

Join us for an energizing conversation about everyday citizens rising to meet the expectations of their city and charting a path out of the tribalism that grips the nation. 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!

"Just keep doing the next right thing, even though it's hard."

This mantra has become a political north star for Scranton mayor and recurring How To Really Run A City guest (and sometimes host), Paige Cognetti. She knows that what drives a city forward is everyone doing their parts at all levels.

"It's the colleges and universities," former Mayor Michael Nutter interjects. "It's the corporate communities. It's the committee people. It's the block captains. Cities are living, breathing entities."

Cognetti and Nutter recently joined Citizen co-founder Larry Platt for a special live taping of the podcast at Philadelphia's OpportUNITY Summit hosted by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. It was a rousing conversation that included a lot of teasing of Nutter by Cognetti, but also included some high-minded reminders that the future of cities depends on practical local government reformers.

"What can all of us do to move the [political] needle back to sanity?" Platt asked.

"Tell the stories that reflect your reality," Cognetti said.

"Vote," Nutter immediately answered. "Put down the phone, go to the voting booth and do your thing. Then you can get back to TikTok. Better yet, make a video about how you voted!"

Join us for an uplifting live conversation about civic duty and the motivations of true city changemakers. 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 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 continued. "But we need to show people that this is about making your job more effective. The human touch is still needed. AI is just the tool to [streamline] the data and priorities for cities."

Join us for an episode about what local leaders are doing to take advantage of the coming technology and, as Mayor Reed says, "really move the needle" on focused, effective governing. 

Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch the conversation play out on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

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 Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed joins guest host Scranton, PA Mayor Paige Cognetti, fresh off a stunning primary win. 

"I think a local leader's superpower is empathy," Reed says. "You have to feel what they feel."

"You can't ever lose that feeling of being a constituent yourself," Lock Dawson concurred. 

Join us for a special episode about being a woman in office, mirroring the best qualities of your citizens and building a vibrant, growing city despite the politics in Washington. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch the conversation play out on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

"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 headlines last year by promptly apprehending a would-be Trump assassin and an Atlanta mass shooter. After being the victim of a robbery in his own neighborhood, Langley reimagined vehicle surveillance and built a company that operates alongside thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country.

"I love citizen entrepreneurs who are in the civic problem-solving business," Platt told the mayors. "That's who this guy is."

Join us for a deep dive into an idea that keeps cities safer while avoiding the typical pitfalls of street surveillance. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch the conversation play out on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

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 the mayoral office for an astounding 18 years — in no small part because of his unique style of "governtainment," as well as the realization that cities are firmly in the business of customer service.

"Our competition isn't who you think: It's Amazon," Barnett says. "If you can get something delivered to your house from across the world in 24 hours, but it takes four or five visits to city hall to get a dog license, people say this just doesn't make any sense. Most mayors are more practical than political, so while I am Republican, most of my day-to-day work is solving problems for our community."

"What you're doing is good for the soul of the country," Reed tells him.

Join us for a conversation about getting shit done, all while entertaining your city along the way. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can watch highlights from this episode or view the full podcast right on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

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 modeling a new way," says Platt. "You're in that mold of the efficient governing wing of the Democratic Party."

Join us for this episode about "green shoots of encouragement" coming right from Scranton, PA. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch the conversation play out on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!

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 federal agencies and funding. "Given your experience, Bruce, how scared should we be?"

"This is a war on the poor," Katz says. "This is a war on science. This is abandoning our allies and the dismantling of the federal government. We should be very scared."

That doesn't mean there is no hope, though.

"The U.S. has always shown the power of the local," Katz tells the hosts. "We are really unlike any other place in the world. We have a long tradition of volunteerism, philanthropy and corporate engagement. It's local. People are committed to place. This will be our salvation." 

Join us for this episode about how to really fix housing in this country. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch the conversation play out on YouTube.

As cities go, so goes the nation!