"Parks and Recreation" feels an awful lot like Philly City Hall

SODA TAXES, 3-1-1 call centers, budget woes and City Council political battles.

No, we're not talking about life in Philly's City Hall, but in the government of fictional Pawnee, Ind., featured on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation."

The show follows the travails of the ever-positive Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), a middle manager in the parks department and a newly elected councilwoman, as she strives to improve her town.

Like any great comedy, the show has colorful characters, sharp dialogue and the occasional well-timed pratfall, but what really makes "Parks and Recreation" clever - especially from the perspective of a city government and politics reporter - is how closely the story lines hew to the policy and political issues of the day and how effectively they mine comic absurdity from those topics.

Sometimes it feels like they must be reading the Daily News.

This season - the critically acclaimed comedy's fifth - included an episode in which Leslie tries to implement a soda tax in Pawnee and is faced with a barrage of criticism from residents and business groups. The episode perfectly captures the political debate and contradictions that arose during Mayor Nutter's two failed attempts to tax soda in Philly.

During a meeting with a representative of the town's restaurant association, Leslie asks how a 512-ounce soda could reasonably be called a "child size."

"Well it's roughly the size of a 2-year old child, if the child were liquefied," the woman says. "It's a real bargain."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Pinewood, but why would anyone need this much soda?" Leslie asks, putting the massive cup on her head.

"It's not my place to speak for the consumer," she replies, smiling, "but everyone should buy it."

During a conference call with reporters last week, show co-creator Michael Schur said the writing staff spends a lot of time "poking around the Internet" for real-life government material. The soda-tax episode was obvious, he said, after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's effort to limit soda sizes in restaurants.

"Often, as with the soda tax, it's about individual liberties, which is on on the national stage," Schur said.

Another government story this season featured one of the show's most brilliant characters - Leslie's friend and comic foil, the parks department's director, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). He's a gun-toting libertarian who believes government should be abolished. When Ron is asked to staff a 3-1-1 nonemergency call line, much like Philadelphia's, he tells one one caller the following:

"Well, Diane, for potholes you want to speak with public works. I understand you've called them four times. Government is inefficient and should be dissolved. Please hold while I transfer you."

"Parks and Rec" also captures nuances of life within city government, the rivalries among departments (the show's parks people and library people are at war) and the challenges of running a public meeting or dealing with the press.

And Schur said he thinks there are plenty more government stories to pursue.

"I personally think government is funny. I'm constantly amazed how absurd the things are that come out of politicians mouths," he said. "I don't think we're in danger of running out of material."

Still, at the heart of the show is the core truth that Leslie is a good person who believes in government and is committed to making a difference. That affection for the heroine and the subject matter is key for the show's silly and sweet tone.

Proof that Pawnee government matters and that Leslie is a special person was evident last week, when Leslie's boyfriend, Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), decided to pass on opportunities in Washington, D.C., to come back to Pawnee and propose to Leslie.

Scott spoke about the decision last week during the conference call, noting that Ben doesn't want to be away from Leslie, but also that he sees that the work in Pawnee has value.

"The immediate results they see from hard work in a place like Pawnee - it makes the whole idea of going back there a lot more attractive as well," Scott said.