Brews & Views

Before Charles Mitchell became president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, he was put on trial at Bucknell University for standing up for free speech. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette, Charles talks about his college battle against campus speech codes, his motivation to get up each morning, and his plans to start a school.

Pa. State Rep. Greg Rothman worked his way through kindergarten, was fired from his first job at age 11, and spent nearly 10 years in the Marine Corps Reserve before becoming a lawmaker. In this Brews & Views episode, Greg talks with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette about his passion for working, his path to the state Capitol, and his dream job.

Sen. Rich Alloway surprised many by announcing he’s leaving the state Senate at the end of February. He recently sat down with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette to discuss his road from college drop-out to attorney, the issues he’s been most passionate about while in office, and what he plans to do next.

First-term State Representative Valerie Gaydos is an entrepreneur who knows what it means to successfully run a small business. And she understands firsthand the impact Pennsylvania's public policies have on entrepreneurs. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette, Rep. Gaydos discusses how Pennsylvania can spur economic growth by helping—not hindering—job creators.

Pa. State Senator Scott Martin is passionate about helping Pennsylvanians move from dependency to self-sufficiency. A lifelong resident of Lancaster County, Scott recently sat down with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette to talk about the values he learned while growing up as the oldest of seven children, his reason for running for office, and how Pennsylvania can achieve priorities including greater healthcare access, economic growth, and improved educational opportunity.

He’s been covering Pennsylvania state government for two decades, but journalism wasn’t his first career choice. PennLive opinion editor John Micek joins Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette to look at the state of the media, offer predictions on what to expect from Gov. Tom Wolf and the new Legislature heading into 2019, and talk about moonlighting in a rock band!

Many public employees believe they benefit from union membership, but what about those who are being mistreated by their union? David Osborne, president and general counsel of the Fairness Center, a non-profit public interest law firm, talks with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matthew Brouillette about the firm’s work representing those facing unjust treatment from public sector union officials.

Freshman State Representative Andrew Lewis already has an impressive resume as a decorated combat veteran and a family construction businessman. In this Brews & Views conversation, Andrew talks with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette about his service in Iraq as a U.S. Army Scout, his family’s entrepreneurial spirit, and why when it comes to state government, he believes in ‘increasing the sunlight to disinfect the state.’

Gordon Denlinger is the new Pennsylvania State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business. In this Brews & Views conversation with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette, Gordon talks about his Watergate-era-inspired interest in politics, his time serving in the Pa. House, and how lawmakers can work across the party aisle to expand economic opportunity in Pennsylvania.

Rep. John Taylor is closing out 34 years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, but he ’s not leaving the policy realm entirely. In this conversation with Commonwealth Partners president and CEO Matt Brouillette, John shares what it's like being one of the few Republicans from Philadelphia in the state Capitol, reflects on his decades of public service, and hints at his next career move.