Guest Commentary

Local News Matters

What do a historic muckraker, the corruption trial of Johnny Doc, and the long arc of justice in Philadelphia have in common? A robust local newspaper

By Anthony Green
Your City Defined

Sheriff’s Office

Here’s a breakdown — and a little history — about the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office

By J.P. Romney
Listen

Ali Velshi Compares Nepotism and Corruption, Trumps vs. Bidens

MSNBC anchor and Citizen Board member points out the differences in scope and scale of the allegations against Hunter Biden vs. those against Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner

By Ali Velshi

The JailBird Diet — Losing 100 Pounds and Finding Myself Behind Bars

Locked up for campaign finance violations, a Philly political consultant loses weight and gains insight, Henry David Thoreau-style. An excerpt from Ken Smukler’s new memoir.

By Ken Smukler
The Fix

How To Respond to Public Corruption Charges

In L.A., allegations against a councilmember were met by his colleagues … doing the right thing. What a novel concept.

By Larry Platt
The Fix

Corrupt and Consenting

In this excerpt from his new book, a longtime political reformer dives deep into Philly’s unique culture of political corruption — and proposes ways to overcome it

By Brett Mandel
Your City Defined

Home Rule Charter

The City of Philadelphia's constitution is a growing framework of both commonsense and potentially outdated laws.

By Lauren McCutcheon
Listen

Ali Velshi on the Culture of Corruption in Congress

The MSNBC host asks: Why are Republicans trying to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics?

By Ali Velshi
The Fix

Philly Leaders — Be more like the Eagles … and the Phillies

Philadelphia's pro teams' success comes from honest teamwork ... How about some of that from City Hall? (Looking at you, Johnson and Parker.)

By Larry Platt

What Went Wrong on Washington Avenue

A two-mile paving debacle in Philly symbolizes how government isn’t working for American cities

By Sean Blanda