The Mayor: One Poor City's Fight to Bring Back Government and Save the Nation's Soul

The author of The Hospital asks: Can one challenged city show the way to restore faith in government and reimagine the nation’s future?

Chester, PA, a majority Black city just south of Philadelphia, is plagued by gun violence, decrepit infrastructure, a hospital at risk of closing, and a scary reputation. After more than a century of mismanagement, people have lost all faith in government.

Stefan Roots, a wastewater plant operator, wants to do something to clean it up. So he runs for mayor wi...