Bryan Allen is a lifelong Lower Bucks County resident, a father of three, and a dedicated public servant who has spent more than three decades fighting for the community that raised him. Now he wants to take that fight to Harrisburg. Bryan joins me today to talk about why he is running to unseat Republican incumbent state Rep K.C. Tomlinson.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, and iheart

ALSO LISTEN TO:

• Democrat Tim Hayes Wants to Flip a Bucks County State House Seat from Red to Blue
• Why We Need ‘AI for the People’, with Congressman Ro Khanna
• These 3 Central Bucks Parents Started a ‘Revolution’ to Save Their School District from Moms for Liberty and Other Right-Wing Extremists
• A Look at Bob Harvie’s ‘New Fair Deal for Working Families’ and the Chance to Flip PA-01, with Cyril Mychalejko and Kevin Mahoney
• Filmmaker Robert May Discusses His New PBS Documentary Series ‘Bucks County, USA’

Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music.

Follow us on BlueSky:

• @buckscountybeacon.bsky.social
• @cmychalejko.bsky.social

Robert May is a producer/director of independent films whose projects have collectively garnered over 40 awards including the Oscar, Bafta, Independent Spirit Award and Human Rights Award, to name a few. He produced documentaries the Fog of War, about former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Kids for Cash, about a scandal involving judges in Wilkes Barre receiving kickbacks for sending kids to a private prison, among other films.

His latest, which airs on PBS on Sunday, is Bucks County, USA, a five-part documentary series May co-produced with filmmakers Jason Sosnoff and Barry Levinson. The series, filmed over 4 years, covers what the New York Times dubbed “The School Board Wars” in Central Bucks School District. He spoke with me to talk about his filmmaking career, Bucks County, USA, and how he hopes this new docuseries can help a community once at war with each other heal, and maybe even actively try to listen and talk to each other like friendly neighbors – despite deep political differences.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, and iheart

READ:

• BCCC Embarrasses Itself With Decision to Cancel Special Community Prescreening of PBS Docuseries ‘Bucks County, USA’
• It Takes A Village: Expelling Right-Wing Extremism From Bucks County School Districts
• CBSD Neighbors United Was a Revolution in Central Bucks School District

ALSO LISTEN TO:

• These 3 Central Bucks Parents Started a ‘Revolution’ to Save Their School District from Moms for Liberty and Other Right-Wing Extremists
• Anti-Fascist, Dystopian YA Novel Inspired by Central Bucks School District
• Unmasking Moms for Liberty’s Extremism, with Olivia Little and Diana Leygerman
• Raising a Transgender Child in an Increasingly Transphobic Country and School District, with Brett Freeman
• Fighting for Students’ and Teachers’ Rights in Central Bucks School District, with ACLU’s Witold Walczak
• The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart
• Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider on Their New Book ‘The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual’

Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music.

Follow us on BlueSky:

• @buckscountybeacon.bsky.social
• @cmychalejko.bsky.social

This special episode of The Signal Podcast brings listeners inside a dynamic, solutions‑focused conversation about civic engagement, community care, and the everyday actions that strengthen democracy. Recorded live at a joint event hosted by the Bucks County Beacon and Doylestown Action League, the discussion explores what participation really looks like—and why showing up matters.

Moderator Connor O’Hanlon guides a powerhouse panel of leaders whose work spans civic education, mental health advocacy, trauma‑informed care, and political engagement. Join him and featured panelists Lauren Cristella, Amy Widestrom, Ariel Virk and Nick Emeigh for an in-depth and actionable conversation. Together, these experts unpack the barriers that keep people from participating, the cultural narratives that shape our sense of agency, and the practical steps anyone can take to build healthier, more connected communities.

This is an energizing, grounded, and deeply human conversation about the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Links:

Bucks County Beacon - News. Government. Politics.

Behind the Beacon | The Bucks County Beacon

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-bucks-county-beacon-turns-5-tickets-1989228969396?aff=oddtdtcreator