The Mayors: Recent Episodes
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The Mayors is a podcast from Blueprint, powered by REEF, dedicated to hearing from, well, mayors—the people who lead our cities, who make the big decisions, who fight for progress in steps and leaps, who sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. We learn about why our guests chose to become mayors and how they got there; what keeps (or kept) them up at night while they work to make good cities great; and the issues, solutions, policies, and partnerships they view as critical to building better communities. In conversation with urbanists Richard Florida and Padden Murphy, we’ll ask and answer the big questions that cities face—it’s a space for us to share, and learn, and celebrate cities.
The 36th Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, joins Richard on The Mayors. The first Muslim Mayor of a large city in North America, Mayor Nenshi walks us through his political career and his efforts to increase and improve Calgarian’s civic engagement. Mayor Nenshi explains the importance behind the program he created while in office, “Three Things for Calgary”, which later expanded nationwide to “Three Things for Canada”— Illustrating the power of visionary leadership. Recorded May 25th, 2021
Mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, joins Richard and Padden to discuss the economic growth and innovation the city has experienced during the past 20 years. Mayor Peduto addresses issues such as the importance of tech-driven decisions, innovation, adaptation, and how failure is sometimes inevitable but needed. His efforts and vision allowed Pittsburgh to become a diversified and inclusive city, improving the lives of all residents in all neighborhoods. Recorded June 15th, 2021
Richard and Padden talk to Mayor Don Iveson, from Edmonton Canada, a great leader with a passion for sustainability and the future of cities. Ever since elected Mayor in 2013, Mayor Iveson has led efforts to achieve meaningful sustainability goals for the city in terms of public health and population, services and infrastructure, as well as economic development. Furthermore, Mayor Iveson discusses with Padden and Richard how breaking stigmas, unification, and institutional alignment are needed all over Edmonton and Canada in order to make the country thrive and succeed in the future. Recorded June 17th, 2021.
When Stephen Goldsmith served as Indianapolis’ 46th mayor, he used his unparalleled creativity to effect change for city residents. Now two decades removed from his time as mayor, he chats with Richard and Padden about using data to help evolve governance strategies, being both imaginative and pragmatic as a leader, and how he adjusted to his role as New York’s deputy mayor under Mike Bloomberg after his stretch in Indianapolis.
Recorded May 20, 2021.
Oklahoma City has undergone one of America's most dramatic municipal transformations in the last three decades. Homegrown Mayor David Holt shares how the city made it happen and what he's doing to keep the ball rolling—plus his thoughts on primaries, hardcore rap, and bringing the Thunder. Recorded May 12, 2021.
Mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, Bryan Barnett has led his town to the top of more than one "best places to live" list. Now in his fourth term, he talks to Richard and Padden about taking good ideas where you find them, what he learned from Disney, and about his leadership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors as the pandemic hit. Recorded May 11, 2021.
"Recovering lawyer" Sam Liccardo is on a mission to bring high-speed rail to Silicon Valley. Now in his second term as mayor of America's 10th largest city, San Jose, he talks to Richard and Padden about his transit plans, the massive project set to remake the city's downtown core, and what his administration is doing to tackle the housing affordability crisis. Recorded April 21, 2021.
Mitch Landrieu served as the mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018, helping to rebuild the city from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Now focusing his attention on racial equity, the NOLA-native talks to Padden and Richard about his life as a professional actor before he pivoted into politics, what it's like to lead through a disaster, and the economic and connective power of the arts. Recorded March 24, 2021
Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mayor G.T. Bynum comes from a long line of public servants. Now in his second term as mayor of Oklahoma's second largest city, he talks to Padden and Richard about Tulsa's pioneering remote work program, his commitment to bipartisanship, and what he's doing to promote healing as the city approaches the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Recorded March 10th, 2021.
Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Stephen Benjamin was a self-described knucklehead kid from New York who has dedicated his life to public service in South Carolina. Richard and Padden recently sat down with Mayor Benjamin to discuss his leadership among mayors, the transformation of Columbia’s historic downtown, and what he learned from losing an election. Recorded February 15, 2021
Daniella Levine Cava made history in 2020 as the first-ever woman and the first Democrat in decades to be elected Mayor of Miami-Dade County. On this episode, Mayor Levine Cava discusses her bold agenda for equity and inclusion, why she was a “late bloomer” to elected office, and the forgotten impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recorded February 23, 2021.
"Radical centrist" Philip Levine brought a get-it-done attitude to Miami Beach as the city's mayor from 2013 to 2017. He sat down with Richard and Padden to discuss accountability, the biggest threat to Miami Beach, and how to foster innovation. Recorded December 9, 2020.
Steve Adler, Mayor of Austin, is constantly striking a balance between “keeping Austin weird” and supporting the fastest growing large city in the U.S. He recently sat down with Richard and Padden to talk about how cities cultivate innovation, his hopes for infrastructure improvement under the Biden administration, and Austin’s complicated dynamic with state lawmakers. Recorded January 15, 2021
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has overseen one of the fastest growing cities in the country. In this week's episode, the Mayor talks to Richard and Padden about balancing the challenges and opportunities that come with rapid growth and shares the story of how a handwritten letter got him his start in city government.
From being laid off by the City of Oakland to becoming mayor, Libby Schaaf knows how to hustle. On this episode, Mayor Schaaf shares her journey going from lifelong activist to the city's seat of power, how private partnerships have helped her reimagine a mayor's impact, and why "potholes are hella sexy in Oakland."
Recorded 01/12/2021
From the Florida House of Reps to the State Senate and now the top office in Miami Beach, Mayor Dan Gelber is a seasoned public servant. He sat down with Richard and Padden to share the wisdom he's picked up along the way, including how to keep a hospitality town afloat during a pandemic, lessons from being a Democratic mayor in a Republican state, and prioritizing livability in a growing city.
Can mayors be America’s political unifiers? Miami Mayor Francis Suarez thinks so. He recently sat down with Richard Florida and Padden Murphy to talk about real leadership, creating climate resilience in one of the most climate-threatened cities in the world, and Miami’s unexpected boom amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mayors is a podcast from Blueprint, powered by REEF, dedicated to hearing from, well, mayors—the people who lead our cities, who make the big decisions, who fight for progress in steps and leaps, who sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. We learn about why our guests chose to become mayors and how they got there; what keeps (or kept) them up at night while they work to make good cities great; and the issues, solutions, policies, and partnerships they view as critical to building better communities. In conversation with urbanists Richard Florida and Padden Murphy, we’ll ask and answer the big questions that cities face—it’s a space for us to share, and learn, and celebrate cities.