Meyerside Chats: Government, Policy & Civility

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, I sit down with Mark Pinsley, the elected Controller of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, for a wide-ranging conversation on transparency, public trust, and how government financial systems really work when you look under the hood. Mark explains why his office uncovered unpaid rent tied to ICE’s use of county buildings, how a simple breakdown in contracts and oversight led to years of missed payments, and why fiscal accountability must remain separate from political pressure—even when the headlines get loud. We also dive deep into: Why 70% of county spending goes to law and orderHow jail phone commissions and healthcare middlemen distort incentivesThe hidden role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and how Lehigh County saved millions by auditing themWhat government efficiency efforts get right—and wrong—when compared to initiatives like DOGEWhy transparency changes behavior before laws ever doHow political labels collide with the reality of independent oversightThe rising personal risks faced by local officials—and how we lower the temperatureThis conversation isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about systems vs. incentives, people vs. power, and what it actually takes to earn public trust in government again. Video here:  https://youtu.be/1Crt-mysGG8 00:00 Intro – What a County Controller Actually Does 01:10 Evicting ICE: How the County Discovered Unpaid Rent 02:25 Contracts, Oversight Failures, and Government Blind Spots 04:05 Separating Fiscal Oversight from Political Polarization 05:40 ICE, Community Trust, and Reporting Crime Without Fear 08:50 Citizens vs Residents: How County Spending Really Works 10:40 Where County Money Actually Goes (71% to Law & Order) 13:30 Balancing Objectivity and Personal Convictions as Controller 15:30 Public Defenders vs Prosecutors: A Budget Fairness Problem 16:45 Why Mark Identifies as a Democrat (and What That Really Means) 18:10 Populism, Corporate Power, and Anti-Trust Failures 20:40 Why Independents Can’t Win (Yet) + Ranked Choice Voting 22:10 Modernizing Government Systems: Process Before Software 23:30 Tools of Oversight: Excel, Python, and Catching Errors 24:45 Legacy Systems, Data Access, and Why IT Bottlenecks Matter 26:00 DOGE: Good Idea, Flawed Execution 28:10 Can Government Really Cut $2 Trillion? 29:40 Who Should Pay More Taxes—and Why 32:10 Wealth, Assets, and Buying Influence 34:00 Money in Politics and the Limits of Reform 36:30 Why Transparency Is the Real First Step 39:15 Civics Education and Who People Blame (Wrongly) 41:50 Where Mark Gets His News—and Why He Trusts None of It 43:40 Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Hidden Healthcare Grift 46:30 How Lehigh Co Support the show About Evan Meyer Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth. He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.