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."

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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."

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As cities go, so goes the nation!

On this episode, our hosts, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt, invite onto the show a guest well-known to our mayors.

Jannet Walker-Ford is a nationally recognized transportation expert who worked on the recently released Special Event Transportation — Guidance and Opportunities Playbook (SetGo) to help transit agencies navigate "mega-events" like the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the many semiquincentennial celebrations across the country.

"How do you use these events for engines of future growth?" asked Platt.

"It's part of our playbook," she said. "We want to sustain those collaborations and relationships, as well as changes in infrastructure, processing and procedures. [And] really pulling in stakeholders — that's the important piece."

Another piece that's important: Everyday residents who still need to get to work or open their businesses despite large-scale disruptions. "You've got to be thinking about them and engaging the community so they survive the event," Walker-Ford said.

"You're in a unique position," Reed responded, "who do you see out here getting things right?"

Walker-Ford named former guest Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles, Seattle and Salt Lake City, Mayor Quinton Lucas in Kansas City — and even Philadelphia and SEPTA. "Getting stakeholders on the same page … can be tough," Nutter said.

"It's great in our speeches, though!" Reed laughed. "It makes us sound super innovative."

Join us for a timely conversation about how the United States needs to prepare for this blockbuster year when millions of visitors and celebrants will enter our cities and transportation systems.

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As cities go, so goes the nation!